Post by Dead Greyhawk on Nov 12, 2007 11:49:37 GMT -5
The Company slowly trickles into Ainge McCurran's hamlet. The hamlet looks much like it did before, brown and sere, but surrounded by a low wall and having an independent water supply. Raven was uncertain that the others would understand his meaning in the heat of the battle, but apparently most of them do. The new folk arrive in the company of the older hands, and, after four days, everyone except for Dell arrives. The horses have fared the worst, with several riding horses lost in the blaze of magic and the arching arrows.
The Company's setback has surprised and discouraged them. While the experienced members of the Company have had both successes and failures, Antonus, Eig, and now Perrin have seen only the failed plans of the Company, first in Flen and now in the Stark Mounds. Antonus urges the Company to immediately turn about, regroup, and assault the tower once more. "The enemy will be caught completely off guard. After our humiliating defeat they surely won't expect us to rally and attack," declares Antonus. The others can't tell if Antonus is intentionally being snide, or if it is merely an unconscious act.
Raven disagrees. "We can only assault the tower if Otto and the rest of the Company show up immediately. If we're not that lucky, I think we shoud leave. I think that the only way we're going to be successful is if we invisibly fly up and assault the tower from the top down. That's going to be tough," asserts Raven. Raven looks to Winthrop to see whether he has contacted Otto, who presumably is heading for Karmuk's Tower at this very moment.
Winthrop turns red and stands up, summoning his chest and digging out a large book of arcana. Several hours later, Winthrop returns and says he's sent Otto a message directing him to Ainge McCurran's hamlet. It has made Winthrop wonder if what he has been hearing are short messages sent to him by another mage. Raven encourages him to listen more carefully, and Winthrop agrees.
Each day Winthrop sends a message to Otto, and, after three days, Otto arrives at the hamlet. Pfiffwin, Herbert, and Eats Salmon accompan him, much to the pleasure of the Company and the consternation of Ainge McCurran and his fellows. While the impact of the Company on the hamlet has been small due to Hugh's and Adrienne's prayers, the presence of a large brown bear is another issue all together. Ainge suggests that they plan on moving on soon. The Company agrees to leave soon, but not too soon. Dell still has not arrived.
Otto explains that while the Company went to talk to the elves in the Hornwood, he took Pfiffwin, Herbert, and Eats Salmon off to scout the western part of Geoff. If the Duke is succeeding in holding his country against the giants, unlike what happened with the Earl, then perhaps the Duke will eventually be able to aid Otto's fellow Yeomen. While this seems unlikely, Otto must snatch at all hopes, no matter how far-fetched, that might help his beleaguered home.
What he saw in the western part of Geoff was promising. Geoff is holding up better than Sterich, though it is hard to imagine how one holds up worse than Sterich. Frost giants roam the area, along with ogres and orcs, but the forces of Duke Owan challenge their possessions. Otto was able to visit among the troops and found that all the news was not good though. They claimed that strange signs were seen during the giant attacks, as if an unseen force is assisting the giants. The Duke's men grumble about the reclusive redoubt to the north of the Duchy, the Valley of the Mage, where an archmage lives surrounded by his elven and gnomish servants. The Duke's men fear that these are the invisible forces aiding the giants and humanoids, since the Valley is considered impregnable. On the other hand, the giants were set back by unknown forces several months ago, providing a much needed respite for the troops. Since then, ogres captured by the troops claim that there has been a consolidation of the frost giant's strength under a new leader, Gungir. The Duke's troops are massing for a large battle in the Crystalmists, and hope that Duke Owen has a secret plan.
The Company relates that they have heard several of those rumors elsewhere, especially about the rise of the new giant Jarl. Winthrop is interested in knowing more about this mysterious archmage, but to Otto and Raven, this sounds like a potential problem. The ice elves sound unpleasantly similar to those elvish servitors of the archmage.
The Company is gathered close in the stucco hovel that they have occupied since arriving in Ainge McCurran's hamlet, chatting with the newly arrived. Suddenly, Otto leaps to his feet, struggling to free Giantslayer from its sheath, and shouts a warning. From nothingness forms a fearsome and horrifying shape. A hideous figure, eight feet tall, with an orange boar's head and tusks and the body of a mauve giant ape stands on black cloven hooves. Tiny golden feathered wings sprout from its back as it roars at the Company, a black light expanding out from its outstretched hand. The Company is immediately split in twain as Jasper, Winthrop, Alouicious, and Raven scream in fear and bolt out of the hamlet.
"Go! Go! Get them before they are waylaid!" shouts Otto as he charges forward. Diego, no coward, stands his ground, firing arrows at the creature. Adrienne and Hugh run from the hamlet, chasing after Jasper, Winthrop, and Raven. Jasper, of course is easily outdistancing everyone, but both of the clerics hope that they can close with Raven or Winthrop and remove their unholy fear from them. Alouicious, of course, hobbles along more slowly and will easily be caught.
While the warriors charge forward, Pfiffwin climbs up and out the window of the stucco hovel. Looking around, he spies the less experienced members of the Company, Antonus, Eig, and Perrin, talking with Herbert at the short wall that surrounds the hamlet. Eats Salmon stares longingly at a scrawny cow that stands in a small pen within the hamlet, placidly chewing cud. "Help! Help!" shouts Pfiffwin, waving his arms in the air and dancing around. "Come help!" Antonus, Eig, and Perrin are taken aback by the scene, but quickly begin running for the stucco hovel.
Inside the hovel, things are going poorly for the Company. The fell creature seems immune to the shafts that Diego sends into it and agile enough to avoid Otto's attacks in the cramped space. While Diego throws his horsebow to the ground and pulls forth his bastardsword, the creature flicks open its hands in an odd pattern. Sparks fly from them and with a glowing forefinger, it scribes a floating symbol in the air that sears into Diego and Otto's eyes. "That's not a sword," says Otto, pointing at Diego's weapon. "That's barely a knife if anything at all."
"Oh, sure," sneers Diego, "as if an uncultured hick like you would be able to tell me anything that makes sense. Tell me again how you love to frolic in the mountains with the goats and sheep."
Antonus hears the discordant bickering occuring inside the stucco hovel and knows things have not gone well. Rather than charge in the door or climb through the window that Pfiffwin exited through, he runs around to the other side of the house and peers in the opposite window. Diego and Otto stand, sword in hand, pointing and rudely gesturing at each other while a huge creature looms by them, its back to Antonus. Eig runs in through the door and immediately joins in the criticism of Diego and Otto, telling them they are both as useful as farm animals and have the manner and culture to prove it. Antonus draws forth the wand that Dell gave him, the wand that paralyzes creatures, points it at the creature's back, and pronounces the word of power.
A thin purple ray lances out from the tip of the wand, striking the creatures back in a coruscation of light. The light winds itself around the creature until it is covered in a shimmering film. The creature stops moving entirely. Antonus climbs through the window and starts bashing it over the head with his staff. "Help! Help!" he cries, as his blows do not dent the creature's bristly skull.
Perrin and Pfiffwin, who have followed Antonus around the back of the stucco hovel, begin climbing in through the window. Pfiffwin chuckles to himself, as this is the most breaking and entering he has done since he joined the Company. Perrin draws forth the falchion the Company gave him and starts hacking at the light-wrapped creature, his blows causing a bluish ichor to seep forth from the cuts in the creature's form. Pfiffwin draws his dagger and aims carefully, driving it into what he hoped is a vital juncture of muscle and sinew.
The creature withstands many blows and much damage from the three of them, since Antonus does not cease in beating the creature over the head with his glowing staff. After nearly ten minutes, the creature crumples to the ground, a bloodied, battered mess. The light ceases and it stirs not, dead from a proverbial thousand cuts.
The glowing symbol fades as well, and Diego, Otto, and Eig, who have argued but fortunately not come to blows, recover their senses. They are quite surprised at surviving the creature's attack, and also that Antonus played such a key role in its death.
The return of Winthrop and the others is a welcome sight, as the others fears of further ambush in the night is not realized. Winthrop has an odd look on his face, partway between annoyed, bemused, and content. "I have discovered the source of the strange noises I have been hearing," says Winthrop to the others. "Oaklock has been sending me messages, but I have been too distracted to hear them. In the quiet following my fright, I had no other distractions, and I heard him as clearly as if he was standing beside me. Oaklock asks that we help an old ally of ours, Arden Prindive, at the edge of the Oytwood."
The Company, flush from their victory against the strange creature, jabbers excitedly to one another about what they might do next. Winthrop and Hugh look at the dead creature while the others bicker, boast and argue. Hugh sketches a scale drawing while Winthrop takes samples and tries to compare it to the notes he made long ago in Monmurg from the tome found there in the guild. "Nalfeshnee, I believe," says Winthrop. "Though I had read that they were more fierce than this."
The Company rests on their laurels that evening, putting off a decision until morning. Then, in the clear morning light, they decide that the forces ensconced in Karmuk's Tower are too well prepared for the Company's tastes. Instead of returning there, even with Otto, the Company will head northwest, up to the Oytwood to aid Arden Prindive. Winthrop sends a message back to Oaklock, informing him that the Company will be heading up to the Oytwood and providing a time at which Winthrop will listen for messages from Oaklock. In this way, Winthrop hopes to hear and understand the messages Oaklock sends to him.
Adrienne chooses to not travel with the Company. Dell has not yet returned, and, last the Company knew, he was under the effects of some malignant magics. Adrienne declares that she will go off and search through the Stark Mounds for him. Perhaps he misunderstood Raven's description of where they would rally or perhaps he is still in thrall to the mysterious magic that imperils him. In either case, Adrienne will search for him and then join the Company at the Oytwood, with Dell or Dell's corpse in hand.
The Company decamps from Ainge McCurran's hamlet, leaving behind a collection of glowing stones and of darkness-shedding stones, the latter made by Pfiffwin, spare weapons, and a goodly amount of Sterich coin. Ainge is glad to see them go. The Company rides to the northwest up to and around southern end of the Oytwood. Each day, Oaklock sends brief messages to Winthrop telling him where to pick up outriders or scouts so that Arden Prindive's forces and the Company will be able to find each other.
Skirting the Oytwood is easier said than done. The forest seems to have had irregular growth and destruction on this, its southern, border. The attacks of the mercenaries and humanoids that the Company encountered so many months ago are clearly visible from the Stark Mounds. Vast stretches of forest have been hewn down, and the forest growth is only weakly rooted. It takes the Company longer than they wish to reach the elvish scouts that first surround and then hail them, but they do arrive.
The Company's setback has surprised and discouraged them. While the experienced members of the Company have had both successes and failures, Antonus, Eig, and now Perrin have seen only the failed plans of the Company, first in Flen and now in the Stark Mounds. Antonus urges the Company to immediately turn about, regroup, and assault the tower once more. "The enemy will be caught completely off guard. After our humiliating defeat they surely won't expect us to rally and attack," declares Antonus. The others can't tell if Antonus is intentionally being snide, or if it is merely an unconscious act.
Raven disagrees. "We can only assault the tower if Otto and the rest of the Company show up immediately. If we're not that lucky, I think we shoud leave. I think that the only way we're going to be successful is if we invisibly fly up and assault the tower from the top down. That's going to be tough," asserts Raven. Raven looks to Winthrop to see whether he has contacted Otto, who presumably is heading for Karmuk's Tower at this very moment.
Winthrop turns red and stands up, summoning his chest and digging out a large book of arcana. Several hours later, Winthrop returns and says he's sent Otto a message directing him to Ainge McCurran's hamlet. It has made Winthrop wonder if what he has been hearing are short messages sent to him by another mage. Raven encourages him to listen more carefully, and Winthrop agrees.
Each day Winthrop sends a message to Otto, and, after three days, Otto arrives at the hamlet. Pfiffwin, Herbert, and Eats Salmon accompan him, much to the pleasure of the Company and the consternation of Ainge McCurran and his fellows. While the impact of the Company on the hamlet has been small due to Hugh's and Adrienne's prayers, the presence of a large brown bear is another issue all together. Ainge suggests that they plan on moving on soon. The Company agrees to leave soon, but not too soon. Dell still has not arrived.
Otto explains that while the Company went to talk to the elves in the Hornwood, he took Pfiffwin, Herbert, and Eats Salmon off to scout the western part of Geoff. If the Duke is succeeding in holding his country against the giants, unlike what happened with the Earl, then perhaps the Duke will eventually be able to aid Otto's fellow Yeomen. While this seems unlikely, Otto must snatch at all hopes, no matter how far-fetched, that might help his beleaguered home.
What he saw in the western part of Geoff was promising. Geoff is holding up better than Sterich, though it is hard to imagine how one holds up worse than Sterich. Frost giants roam the area, along with ogres and orcs, but the forces of Duke Owan challenge their possessions. Otto was able to visit among the troops and found that all the news was not good though. They claimed that strange signs were seen during the giant attacks, as if an unseen force is assisting the giants. The Duke's men grumble about the reclusive redoubt to the north of the Duchy, the Valley of the Mage, where an archmage lives surrounded by his elven and gnomish servants. The Duke's men fear that these are the invisible forces aiding the giants and humanoids, since the Valley is considered impregnable. On the other hand, the giants were set back by unknown forces several months ago, providing a much needed respite for the troops. Since then, ogres captured by the troops claim that there has been a consolidation of the frost giant's strength under a new leader, Gungir. The Duke's troops are massing for a large battle in the Crystalmists, and hope that Duke Owen has a secret plan.
The Company relates that they have heard several of those rumors elsewhere, especially about the rise of the new giant Jarl. Winthrop is interested in knowing more about this mysterious archmage, but to Otto and Raven, this sounds like a potential problem. The ice elves sound unpleasantly similar to those elvish servitors of the archmage.
The Company is gathered close in the stucco hovel that they have occupied since arriving in Ainge McCurran's hamlet, chatting with the newly arrived. Suddenly, Otto leaps to his feet, struggling to free Giantslayer from its sheath, and shouts a warning. From nothingness forms a fearsome and horrifying shape. A hideous figure, eight feet tall, with an orange boar's head and tusks and the body of a mauve giant ape stands on black cloven hooves. Tiny golden feathered wings sprout from its back as it roars at the Company, a black light expanding out from its outstretched hand. The Company is immediately split in twain as Jasper, Winthrop, Alouicious, and Raven scream in fear and bolt out of the hamlet.
"Go! Go! Get them before they are waylaid!" shouts Otto as he charges forward. Diego, no coward, stands his ground, firing arrows at the creature. Adrienne and Hugh run from the hamlet, chasing after Jasper, Winthrop, and Raven. Jasper, of course is easily outdistancing everyone, but both of the clerics hope that they can close with Raven or Winthrop and remove their unholy fear from them. Alouicious, of course, hobbles along more slowly and will easily be caught.
While the warriors charge forward, Pfiffwin climbs up and out the window of the stucco hovel. Looking around, he spies the less experienced members of the Company, Antonus, Eig, and Perrin, talking with Herbert at the short wall that surrounds the hamlet. Eats Salmon stares longingly at a scrawny cow that stands in a small pen within the hamlet, placidly chewing cud. "Help! Help!" shouts Pfiffwin, waving his arms in the air and dancing around. "Come help!" Antonus, Eig, and Perrin are taken aback by the scene, but quickly begin running for the stucco hovel.
Inside the hovel, things are going poorly for the Company. The fell creature seems immune to the shafts that Diego sends into it and agile enough to avoid Otto's attacks in the cramped space. While Diego throws his horsebow to the ground and pulls forth his bastardsword, the creature flicks open its hands in an odd pattern. Sparks fly from them and with a glowing forefinger, it scribes a floating symbol in the air that sears into Diego and Otto's eyes. "That's not a sword," says Otto, pointing at Diego's weapon. "That's barely a knife if anything at all."
"Oh, sure," sneers Diego, "as if an uncultured hick like you would be able to tell me anything that makes sense. Tell me again how you love to frolic in the mountains with the goats and sheep."
Antonus hears the discordant bickering occuring inside the stucco hovel and knows things have not gone well. Rather than charge in the door or climb through the window that Pfiffwin exited through, he runs around to the other side of the house and peers in the opposite window. Diego and Otto stand, sword in hand, pointing and rudely gesturing at each other while a huge creature looms by them, its back to Antonus. Eig runs in through the door and immediately joins in the criticism of Diego and Otto, telling them they are both as useful as farm animals and have the manner and culture to prove it. Antonus draws forth the wand that Dell gave him, the wand that paralyzes creatures, points it at the creature's back, and pronounces the word of power.
A thin purple ray lances out from the tip of the wand, striking the creatures back in a coruscation of light. The light winds itself around the creature until it is covered in a shimmering film. The creature stops moving entirely. Antonus climbs through the window and starts bashing it over the head with his staff. "Help! Help!" he cries, as his blows do not dent the creature's bristly skull.
Perrin and Pfiffwin, who have followed Antonus around the back of the stucco hovel, begin climbing in through the window. Pfiffwin chuckles to himself, as this is the most breaking and entering he has done since he joined the Company. Perrin draws forth the falchion the Company gave him and starts hacking at the light-wrapped creature, his blows causing a bluish ichor to seep forth from the cuts in the creature's form. Pfiffwin draws his dagger and aims carefully, driving it into what he hoped is a vital juncture of muscle and sinew.
The creature withstands many blows and much damage from the three of them, since Antonus does not cease in beating the creature over the head with his glowing staff. After nearly ten minutes, the creature crumples to the ground, a bloodied, battered mess. The light ceases and it stirs not, dead from a proverbial thousand cuts.
The glowing symbol fades as well, and Diego, Otto, and Eig, who have argued but fortunately not come to blows, recover their senses. They are quite surprised at surviving the creature's attack, and also that Antonus played such a key role in its death.
The return of Winthrop and the others is a welcome sight, as the others fears of further ambush in the night is not realized. Winthrop has an odd look on his face, partway between annoyed, bemused, and content. "I have discovered the source of the strange noises I have been hearing," says Winthrop to the others. "Oaklock has been sending me messages, but I have been too distracted to hear them. In the quiet following my fright, I had no other distractions, and I heard him as clearly as if he was standing beside me. Oaklock asks that we help an old ally of ours, Arden Prindive, at the edge of the Oytwood."
The Company, flush from their victory against the strange creature, jabbers excitedly to one another about what they might do next. Winthrop and Hugh look at the dead creature while the others bicker, boast and argue. Hugh sketches a scale drawing while Winthrop takes samples and tries to compare it to the notes he made long ago in Monmurg from the tome found there in the guild. "Nalfeshnee, I believe," says Winthrop. "Though I had read that they were more fierce than this."
The Company rests on their laurels that evening, putting off a decision until morning. Then, in the clear morning light, they decide that the forces ensconced in Karmuk's Tower are too well prepared for the Company's tastes. Instead of returning there, even with Otto, the Company will head northwest, up to the Oytwood to aid Arden Prindive. Winthrop sends a message back to Oaklock, informing him that the Company will be heading up to the Oytwood and providing a time at which Winthrop will listen for messages from Oaklock. In this way, Winthrop hopes to hear and understand the messages Oaklock sends to him.
Adrienne chooses to not travel with the Company. Dell has not yet returned, and, last the Company knew, he was under the effects of some malignant magics. Adrienne declares that she will go off and search through the Stark Mounds for him. Perhaps he misunderstood Raven's description of where they would rally or perhaps he is still in thrall to the mysterious magic that imperils him. In either case, Adrienne will search for him and then join the Company at the Oytwood, with Dell or Dell's corpse in hand.
The Company decamps from Ainge McCurran's hamlet, leaving behind a collection of glowing stones and of darkness-shedding stones, the latter made by Pfiffwin, spare weapons, and a goodly amount of Sterich coin. Ainge is glad to see them go. The Company rides to the northwest up to and around southern end of the Oytwood. Each day, Oaklock sends brief messages to Winthrop telling him where to pick up outriders or scouts so that Arden Prindive's forces and the Company will be able to find each other.
Skirting the Oytwood is easier said than done. The forest seems to have had irregular growth and destruction on this, its southern, border. The attacks of the mercenaries and humanoids that the Company encountered so many months ago are clearly visible from the Stark Mounds. Vast stretches of forest have been hewn down, and the forest growth is only weakly rooted. It takes the Company longer than they wish to reach the elvish scouts that first surround and then hail them, but they do arrive.