Post by Dead Greyhawk on May 11, 2008 21:39:58 GMT -5
The departure of Diego refocuses the Company on the future. While their short term goal is to return to Castle Diego ("Crago," says Raven.) and meet up with Winthrop, their long term goals are still unresolved. Listing them is exhausting and ranges from the personal, such as Perrin's quest, to the international, stopping the efforts of the Dead God. The Company argues long into the night and continues over the next days trying to decide what to do next.
Raven finally synthesizes the different views and opinions into a general plan. "We shouldn't leave the Geoffish area until all the parts of the Company have returned, and we are again at our fighting strength," he states. "I think we get our supplies and equipment, including any materiel the mages might need, and head for Elvish communities in the west. There we can find a temple to Phaulkon and address Perrin's needs. We should probably specifically ask Arden where we can find a priest of Phaulkon. He'll have a good idea." Perrin nods vigorously his agreement. "Once Perrin is trained we should head to Castle Crag and fight whoever's reoccupied the castle," continues Raven with a smile. "That'll be fun. After that, we head south, hitting Karmuk's tower on our way to the Jotens to find the Great Druid. The Great Druid helps with Tharizdun and hopefully all the undead."
The others, exhausted by the discussion, mainly nod their heads in agreement, but Antonus raises a querulous tone. "We're leaving Lord Diego to his own devices?" he asks. "It doesn't seem likely he will wait for us to travel from Hochoch to the Hornwood, wait for Perrin to be trained, and then head back to claim his castle."
"What Diego does is his problem now, not ours," reminds the dwarf, appreciating another mug of early afternoon ale.
"So, what I'm seeing is this," says Dell, drawing on the tabletop with a tea-stained finger. "Option A is having Winthrop, Hugh, and I assume Grizela teleport to Hochoch, and we all go find and purify this temple for Perrin. Option B is going somewhere else and then back to Castle Crag and then to our certain deaths at the hands of the Bergheim mercenaries. Option C is we continue to argue for days, the Dead God awakens, and the world is consumed in flames."
Raven leans in and, without any change in tone, says, "I don't like A because Winthrop teleporting somewhere he's never seen is very risky. I like C, because there is no life but unlife. I mean, I like C because my naga mistress commands me. I like a modified Plan B. We go to the Hornwood, presumably, to train Perrin. Since he's been there, Winthrop should be able to teleport there." The rest of the Company stares at Raven, Al dropping his beer to the table and clutching his axe. The collective thoughts of the Company swing towards Raven's longbow and how close he is to it at the moment.
"I view the tower as a potentially profitable diversion," agrees Dell, hoping to continue distracting the distracted archer. "What are the Bergheim mercenaries assets? There's two "Battle Class" mages (always two there are - a master, and an apprentice), and one priest for their magical assets. I'll guess there's a couple dozen of these powerful zombies; a squad of hippogryphs and riders, probably myrmidons; some infantry squads, swordsmen or the like; a leader; and two or three lieutenants." Dell counts them off on his fingers. "So at a guess, we're looking at half a hundred humans, a few dozen zombies, and a dozen hippogryphs. It's possible for us to take them, but the odds aren't that great in a frontal assault." The rest of the Company remembers the complete and utter failure of their last attempt at taking Karmuk's tower from the Bergheim mercenaries and agree wholeheartedly.
"Unless they have done some major renovations these numbers seem high," pipes up Pfiffwin. "I don't think there is enough space to hold this number of people and undead. You folk are tall and need more space."
"Maybe, they've built an elaborate system of catacombs, torture chambers and treasure rooms underneath the tower," suggests Antonus. "They're evil, after all."
Dell struggles to remember the events of years past. "I thought that when we took the tower the first time there were about thirty orcs and ogres there, including the ones that flew away," he recalls. "Maybe it's more like two dozen fighting men, plus the casters, a captain and a lieutenants, and a dozen zombies," concedes Dell. "Remember, the bugbear dead told us they were a 'small but powerful' mercenary group, but the bugbear mercenary group was huge."
Perrin nods, "Thinking back to my very first combat with the Company, we were routed by almost three dozen zombies along with two magi, a priest, and two warriors. I'd expect that the tower would have this force, plus more men-at-arms."
"There were also a bunch of humans or humanoids," agrees Raven. "I distinctly remember a large force laughing at Dell's dancing and singing, as well as cheering our rout. The zombies don't jeer, so it must have been humans or orcs."
The Company sits quietly for a moment, all reliving the pain and embarrassment felt when the Company was so easily manhandled by the Bergheim Mercenaries. The shame is so great that the die is cast; Perrin's quest will be put on hold, and the elves of the Oytwood asked for suggestions regarding other temples and priests of Phaulkon. Instead, the Bergheim Mercenaries will be taught a lesson in humiliation to wipe away these weak feelings.
Samantha, newly freed from captivity, has no wish to go tussle with a rival band of mercenaries. Arden's men have told her of the crushing raids that have occurred on the elven hamlets in the Oytwood, but she retains hope. Her whole family is in the Oytwood, and someone must know what has become of them. She takes her leave of the Company and of Hochoch, planning on heading north around the edge of the Oytwood and possibly meeting up with Arden's encamped men. "Keep an eye out for Otto," suggests Antonus. "He's headed off that way to the Great Tree." Dell doles out a captive's share of treasure to ease her travels, and she is off.
Dell and Antonus make the last of their shopping trips, looking for those objects that might be useful in the future. Parchment, books, high-quality ink, and quills are purchased, and Dell wanders the town looking for pearls as well. Dell notes many of the shops have small sigils of protection, of the guild sort, on their lintels, generally a stylized bird, but he chooses not to make contact with the organization in Hochoch.
Since the Company has expanded slightly, the single riverboat that was used to come up the Javan River and the Realstream won't be enough to bring the Company back down. With the supplies and equipment purchased and being purchased, the Company has no wish to hike overland. A larger boat will be necessary. It takes several days to locate the appropriate craft, a flatter-bottomed boat more useful for the edges of the river, and then to convince the owner to sell it.
As was rumored when the Company arrived, fishermen approaching the far bank of the Realstream, where it borders the Rushmoors, have been disappearing regularly now. The normal night fishing has been severely curtailed, and the fishermen talk of mysterious lights and floating creatures seen out of the corner of one's eye. It all sounds like a great adventure to Antonus, but the others remind him that they have a plan: south to Castle Diego and then to the Bergheim Mercenaries! "After finding a temple," inserts Perrin, hopefully.
The Lord Mayor is quite interested in the success of the Company. He asks that once Castle Diego is fully invested that the Company, or someone similar, return from the castle to tell him that trade is open at least that far. Many of the ships that went south on the Javan River have not returned, and while trade up the Javan and Realstream are acceptable, reopening trade with Keoland is key. The Javan River is much quicker than marching around the Rushmoors and a greater profit found. The Company agrees to tell Lord Diego.
Finally, after what seems to be many interminable days, the Company is prepared to head south again. As the riverboat now floats with the current, the pace is much quicker, and both Al and Antonus find their navigation and ship-handling skills put to the test. With the wind and current behind them, the Company is not exhausted from rowing, as they were when they rowed us the Javan River to Hochoch. The nights are clear and comfortable as well, and the Company spends much time in the boat on the water, Al and Antonus spelling each other.
The days pass with smooth sailing lulling the awareness of all of those in the riverboat. The Oytwood begins to close in on the Javan again, the large trees casting shadows on the river. Everyone perks up when Antonus, grabs hold of Jasper's arm and points forward. "What's that?" he asks. The riverboat wobbles as the Company tries to all turn, move forward and look, causing Al to curse at the landlubbers. "Try to get us towards shore, and get the oars out!" cries Antonus. "There's a chain on the river!"
The Company bears swiftly down on a heavy chain that is strung across the river. Wrapped around thick willows at the edge of the Javan River, the chain is taut and rides just at the surface of the water. Oars are quickly put overboard and sculled against the current, trying to arrest the swift motion that they had been lauding for so long. Al brings the tiller hard over, and the riverboat slews sideways through the water, angling for the shore, but it is plain that the riverboat will come up on the chain. "Hold on!" shouts Antonus as the riverboat slams into the chain.
The riverboat's planking creaks and makes ominous noises, several seams springing minor leaks, but the Company's efforts have saved the riverboat from being stove in. "Shields! Shields!" shouts Raven, scrambling for his, as orcish archers stand on both sides of the river. The Company is caught in a hail of long distance arrow fire, dozens of arrows raining down upon them. The warriors hold up their shields to protect the less well-protected, while Antonus draws wards around himself. Raven returns fire on the left bank, but the range is equally long for him. While his arrows are more effective, they are not as deadly from this distance as they are up close. "Take the Oytwood side!" directs Raven.
Dell stands up out of the riverboat, batting stray arrows out of the sky with his gloves, while Adrienne invests the others on the riverboat with magical ability. She focuses her goddess's power on the surface of the water, making it seem solid and thick, like slowly moving glass. "Out of the boat," she cries as strange creatures clamber up the sides of the boat and over the river chain.
Boggoblins, last seen by the Company near the mouth of the Javan, scuttle over the sides of the boat, while two sets of larger creatures, one looking like a watery troll and another hulking creature with large black eyes, breach the surface. The hulking creatures heavy scales ripple as it tears at the boat with huge mandibles, while shells and other ornamentation rattle off of the water troll's hide. The troll-like creatures share an unfortunate similarity with land trolls: sharp claws and fangs. The water trolls and the river-hulks seem uncaring that orcish arrows plummet in among them, but the boggoblins are more cautious, attempting to drag folk out of the boat and into the water.
Adrienne is the first out of the boat, staggering across the running water and clearing a space around her with her pick. Seeing the solidity of the water, the others follow, some running for the shore to close with the orcs, the rest forming a fighting line against the river beasts. The fight on the river is chaotic at best, with creatures bobbing up through the hard water, lashing at the Company's extremities. Antonus takes to the air after some beast breaks through the river one too many times.
The boggoblins and their allies are fearsome and canny foes. They recognize the Company's peril. Unable to breathe below the surface, the Company faces great danger if they are pulled beneath the water. Jasper is the first of the Company to be dragged below. Hands reach up through the water's surface and twine themselves around Jasper's legs. As they tugged on Jasper's legs, the surface of the water dimples and puckers as Jasper is pulled downwards. With a sudden popping sound, the surface of the water splits and Jasper sinks like a stone, boggoblins swarming over him.
Jasper struggles with the boggoblins, punching and kicking, but the boggoblins are many and violent. Jasper is pulled further and further under the water, the water getting darker as the surface gets farther away. Jasper's lungs begin to burn, and he throws himself about trying to struggle upwards to where the air is.
Raven frowns at the thrashing forms far below him. Throwing his longbow over his shoulder, he pulls out Frostbrand and thrusts it into the water, trying to strike at those boggoblins still in reach. The boggoblins recoil from him, and he reaches even further downwards into the river. Much to his surprise, the boggoblins have played him for the fool, and they swarm up towards him, grabbing hold and pulling him through the surface of the river.
Raven gasps in surprise, gulping in a last large breath of air, before he is pulled under. The boggoblins try to do to him what they are doing with Jasper, drag him to the river bottom and drown him there. Raven is a much more ferocious enemy though, and he easily throws the boggoblins off him, his experience fighting against the sharkmen and the Eater serving his well. Boggoblins fall back, stabbed, run through, and otherwise harmed, and Raven swims for the surface. The surface of the Javan parts like a cut tarpaulin, and Raven hauls himself back to the light.
Jasper's body thrashes and twitches as the last of his air is expelled from his lungs. The boggoblins, trying to drag Raven under, have been forced to split their attentions between Raven and Jasper, and Jasper takes advantage of it. Drawing his ki within him, he thrusts his fingers through the eyes of the boggoblin before him and smashes his skull against the boggoblin behind him. Ignoring the throbbing pain from his broken fingers and his cracked skull, he strikes out for the surface, his airless lungs burning within him.
The surface of the Javan is far away, and the light is dim. As Jasper feebly reaches for the surface, the light fades and fades. Jasper's will fails, and he opens his mouth to draw in a breath of river water. Jasper's body travels suddenly upwards and bright light fills his eyes as Raven hauls him bodily up out of the water and onto the surface.
Putting one foot on Jasper's chest and stepping hard, Raven continues to fight off one of the watery hulks. "Adrienne," yells Raven, "need some healing here!" A fountain of water sprays from Jasper's mouth as Raven continues to somewhat brutally use Jasper as a footstool to fight from. Adrienne ignores Raven's cry and concentrates on dealing with the troll-things before her. Perrin, on the other hand, runs over, ducking through the beasts and placing Phaulkon's healing prayer on the gasping Jasper.
Jasper smiles at Perrin as he staggers to his feet. "Get to shore," directs Perrin. Jasper slowly moves towards the shore, gaining speed, and catching up with the others.
After some delay getting out of the boat and avoiding getting pincushioned, Dell and Pfiffwin carefully head for the shore, trying to close the gap with the archers. Several larger orcs, taller and broader than the rest, step forward to protect the archers. They wear large metallic gloves with sharp edges on them and seem more heavily armored than the archers. Dell continues to desultorily bat the arrows out of the air. "See if you can't take one prisoner," says Dell to the gnome. "I'm not planning on it." Pfiffwin scuttles down the riverbank towards where a fetish-festooned orc exhorts his men to battle.
Dell, not having planned for a large battle across a raging river when memorizing his magics this morning, is forced to rely on prepared enchantments crafted by him and Winthrop earlier. As Jasper runs by, Dell reaches down into his belt pouch, grasping at the scrolls within. "Not that one," he mutters, leafing through the different colored ribbons. "Nope, that's for druids. Ah, here we go." Pulling out a scroll bound with a white ribbon, he reads the arcane words from its face and summons large chunks of ice that plummet down on the orcs along the embankment. Unfortunately, they also plummet down on Jasper, who has run in among them, punching and kicking them. The large chunks of ice cut a broad swath through the orcs, but also slam Jasper to the ground. "Crap," mutters Dell. "Al, cover Jasper!" he cries as he moves closer to the fight.
Al limps his way across the river, Perrin trailing along beside him, shaking his head at what has happened to poor Jasper, so recently saved. The fearsome water-creatures still struggle with Adrienne and Raven, preventing them from reaching the shore. The trolls and hulks slash, claw, and bite at the archer and priestess, drawing blood, but taking fearsome wounds as well. The arrows cease to rain down on them, and Antonus's magical bolts send the boggoblins scurrying back into the water. The Company is unable to finish their opponents though, as they can not give chase under the water's surface.
Having almost cleared the boat of boggoblins, Antonus is quickly distracted from his task when three grey-green shapes soar out of the water into the air, trailing muck and lily fronds behind them. The creatures, craggy of mien and bearing sharp horns, claws, and fangs, seem like strangely eroded statues, grown both ragged and smooth by the flow of water. The creatures loop up at Antonus, quickly closing the gap between the two of them. Antonus startles at their appearance and immediately tries to gain more altitude and evade them, but the creatures are faster than he is and pursue with great speed.
Behind the Company, on the opposite side of the Javan River, the orc archers stow their weapons and push bundles of reeds off of a large raft. Quietly, they pull themselves along the chain until they reach where the Company's boat lies jammed on the chain.
The sudden slackening of the chain alerts the Company that something is afoot, but none of them are able to take the time to do something about it. Raven and Adrienne are slowly retreating across the surface of the water towards the shore. Al, Dell, and Perrin are finishing off the last of the orc archers and their larger, bruising brethren. Perrin faith has seized one of the archers in Phaulkon's grasp, while the others begin to break and flee. The gauntlet-clad orcs are tougher than expected and occupy the Company's attention.
Pfiffwin though, he has snuck through the reeds at the edge of the Javan down towards where the orc shaman has been shouting epithets, curses, and other prayers. Slightly separated from the others, the shaman and his bodyguard seem to have not seen his approach, and Pfiffwin makes a plan. First, he stands in the rushes, enchants one of his gemstones, and lobs it at the shaman's bodyguard. Pfiffwin's eye is good, and his throw is perfect. It strikes the bodyguard in the chest, crushing it and, with a strange sound, causing all of the orc's weaponry to stick to one another in a mishmash.
The shaman is surprised by the gnome's appearance, but not so surprised as to be unable to respond in kind. Muttering vile curses and shaking the shrunken remains of a pixie at Pfiffwin, the shaman calls upon his deceitful god. Pfiffwin's body goes momentarily stiff, but he is able to shake off the weight of the foul creature's deity. The experience is a frightful one, and Pfiffwin realizes that he is far from any support from the others. Rather than trying to throw another stone at the shaman, Pfiffwin relies on his good gnomish sense. He pulls out his wand and points it at the marshy ground beneath the and shouts, "Trowel!"
Mud and grime spray from beneath the shaman, a hole being excavated beneath his very feet. The startled shaman scrambles to get out of the way, but his footing is too unsteady and slick. He slips and slides and then is in a pit almost as deep as he is. "Trowel!" shouts Pfiffwin, shaking his wand at the shaman. The hole continues to deepen, with the shaman flailing at the muddy walls, until it subsides upon itself, the mud sliding back over the shaman's head.
Antonus spins and dodges, trying to evade the pursuing creatures, but they are tenacious. Finally, he lines up two of them as he dives for the bank and the rest of the Company and lets loose a long, thin bolt of lightning. One of the creatures squawks and shivers into a thousand pebbles while the other narrowly dodges the lightning bolt. The remaining flying creatures dive for the water, entering through the surface with only a small splash.
"Hey!" shouts Antonus to the rest of the Company, who are victorious on the riverbank. "Stop congratulating yourself and let's get going. Don't you see what's going on?" Indeed, the orcs on their raft have met up with the Company's boat, and the two crafts are sailing down the river towards an ominous bank of fog that seems to have suddenly arisen. Antonus cries out in inner pain, "They're getting away with our stuff!"
Raven finally synthesizes the different views and opinions into a general plan. "We shouldn't leave the Geoffish area until all the parts of the Company have returned, and we are again at our fighting strength," he states. "I think we get our supplies and equipment, including any materiel the mages might need, and head for Elvish communities in the west. There we can find a temple to Phaulkon and address Perrin's needs. We should probably specifically ask Arden where we can find a priest of Phaulkon. He'll have a good idea." Perrin nods vigorously his agreement. "Once Perrin is trained we should head to Castle Crag and fight whoever's reoccupied the castle," continues Raven with a smile. "That'll be fun. After that, we head south, hitting Karmuk's tower on our way to the Jotens to find the Great Druid. The Great Druid helps with Tharizdun and hopefully all the undead."
The others, exhausted by the discussion, mainly nod their heads in agreement, but Antonus raises a querulous tone. "We're leaving Lord Diego to his own devices?" he asks. "It doesn't seem likely he will wait for us to travel from Hochoch to the Hornwood, wait for Perrin to be trained, and then head back to claim his castle."
"What Diego does is his problem now, not ours," reminds the dwarf, appreciating another mug of early afternoon ale.
"So, what I'm seeing is this," says Dell, drawing on the tabletop with a tea-stained finger. "Option A is having Winthrop, Hugh, and I assume Grizela teleport to Hochoch, and we all go find and purify this temple for Perrin. Option B is going somewhere else and then back to Castle Crag and then to our certain deaths at the hands of the Bergheim mercenaries. Option C is we continue to argue for days, the Dead God awakens, and the world is consumed in flames."
Raven leans in and, without any change in tone, says, "I don't like A because Winthrop teleporting somewhere he's never seen is very risky. I like C, because there is no life but unlife. I mean, I like C because my naga mistress commands me. I like a modified Plan B. We go to the Hornwood, presumably, to train Perrin. Since he's been there, Winthrop should be able to teleport there." The rest of the Company stares at Raven, Al dropping his beer to the table and clutching his axe. The collective thoughts of the Company swing towards Raven's longbow and how close he is to it at the moment.
"I view the tower as a potentially profitable diversion," agrees Dell, hoping to continue distracting the distracted archer. "What are the Bergheim mercenaries assets? There's two "Battle Class" mages (always two there are - a master, and an apprentice), and one priest for their magical assets. I'll guess there's a couple dozen of these powerful zombies; a squad of hippogryphs and riders, probably myrmidons; some infantry squads, swordsmen or the like; a leader; and two or three lieutenants." Dell counts them off on his fingers. "So at a guess, we're looking at half a hundred humans, a few dozen zombies, and a dozen hippogryphs. It's possible for us to take them, but the odds aren't that great in a frontal assault." The rest of the Company remembers the complete and utter failure of their last attempt at taking Karmuk's tower from the Bergheim mercenaries and agree wholeheartedly.
"Unless they have done some major renovations these numbers seem high," pipes up Pfiffwin. "I don't think there is enough space to hold this number of people and undead. You folk are tall and need more space."
"Maybe, they've built an elaborate system of catacombs, torture chambers and treasure rooms underneath the tower," suggests Antonus. "They're evil, after all."
Dell struggles to remember the events of years past. "I thought that when we took the tower the first time there were about thirty orcs and ogres there, including the ones that flew away," he recalls. "Maybe it's more like two dozen fighting men, plus the casters, a captain and a lieutenants, and a dozen zombies," concedes Dell. "Remember, the bugbear dead told us they were a 'small but powerful' mercenary group, but the bugbear mercenary group was huge."
Perrin nods, "Thinking back to my very first combat with the Company, we were routed by almost three dozen zombies along with two magi, a priest, and two warriors. I'd expect that the tower would have this force, plus more men-at-arms."
"There were also a bunch of humans or humanoids," agrees Raven. "I distinctly remember a large force laughing at Dell's dancing and singing, as well as cheering our rout. The zombies don't jeer, so it must have been humans or orcs."
The Company sits quietly for a moment, all reliving the pain and embarrassment felt when the Company was so easily manhandled by the Bergheim Mercenaries. The shame is so great that the die is cast; Perrin's quest will be put on hold, and the elves of the Oytwood asked for suggestions regarding other temples and priests of Phaulkon. Instead, the Bergheim Mercenaries will be taught a lesson in humiliation to wipe away these weak feelings.
Samantha, newly freed from captivity, has no wish to go tussle with a rival band of mercenaries. Arden's men have told her of the crushing raids that have occurred on the elven hamlets in the Oytwood, but she retains hope. Her whole family is in the Oytwood, and someone must know what has become of them. She takes her leave of the Company and of Hochoch, planning on heading north around the edge of the Oytwood and possibly meeting up with Arden's encamped men. "Keep an eye out for Otto," suggests Antonus. "He's headed off that way to the Great Tree." Dell doles out a captive's share of treasure to ease her travels, and she is off.
Dell and Antonus make the last of their shopping trips, looking for those objects that might be useful in the future. Parchment, books, high-quality ink, and quills are purchased, and Dell wanders the town looking for pearls as well. Dell notes many of the shops have small sigils of protection, of the guild sort, on their lintels, generally a stylized bird, but he chooses not to make contact with the organization in Hochoch.
Since the Company has expanded slightly, the single riverboat that was used to come up the Javan River and the Realstream won't be enough to bring the Company back down. With the supplies and equipment purchased and being purchased, the Company has no wish to hike overland. A larger boat will be necessary. It takes several days to locate the appropriate craft, a flatter-bottomed boat more useful for the edges of the river, and then to convince the owner to sell it.
As was rumored when the Company arrived, fishermen approaching the far bank of the Realstream, where it borders the Rushmoors, have been disappearing regularly now. The normal night fishing has been severely curtailed, and the fishermen talk of mysterious lights and floating creatures seen out of the corner of one's eye. It all sounds like a great adventure to Antonus, but the others remind him that they have a plan: south to Castle Diego and then to the Bergheim Mercenaries! "After finding a temple," inserts Perrin, hopefully.
The Lord Mayor is quite interested in the success of the Company. He asks that once Castle Diego is fully invested that the Company, or someone similar, return from the castle to tell him that trade is open at least that far. Many of the ships that went south on the Javan River have not returned, and while trade up the Javan and Realstream are acceptable, reopening trade with Keoland is key. The Javan River is much quicker than marching around the Rushmoors and a greater profit found. The Company agrees to tell Lord Diego.
Finally, after what seems to be many interminable days, the Company is prepared to head south again. As the riverboat now floats with the current, the pace is much quicker, and both Al and Antonus find their navigation and ship-handling skills put to the test. With the wind and current behind them, the Company is not exhausted from rowing, as they were when they rowed us the Javan River to Hochoch. The nights are clear and comfortable as well, and the Company spends much time in the boat on the water, Al and Antonus spelling each other.
The days pass with smooth sailing lulling the awareness of all of those in the riverboat. The Oytwood begins to close in on the Javan again, the large trees casting shadows on the river. Everyone perks up when Antonus, grabs hold of Jasper's arm and points forward. "What's that?" he asks. The riverboat wobbles as the Company tries to all turn, move forward and look, causing Al to curse at the landlubbers. "Try to get us towards shore, and get the oars out!" cries Antonus. "There's a chain on the river!"
The Company bears swiftly down on a heavy chain that is strung across the river. Wrapped around thick willows at the edge of the Javan River, the chain is taut and rides just at the surface of the water. Oars are quickly put overboard and sculled against the current, trying to arrest the swift motion that they had been lauding for so long. Al brings the tiller hard over, and the riverboat slews sideways through the water, angling for the shore, but it is plain that the riverboat will come up on the chain. "Hold on!" shouts Antonus as the riverboat slams into the chain.
The riverboat's planking creaks and makes ominous noises, several seams springing minor leaks, but the Company's efforts have saved the riverboat from being stove in. "Shields! Shields!" shouts Raven, scrambling for his, as orcish archers stand on both sides of the river. The Company is caught in a hail of long distance arrow fire, dozens of arrows raining down upon them. The warriors hold up their shields to protect the less well-protected, while Antonus draws wards around himself. Raven returns fire on the left bank, but the range is equally long for him. While his arrows are more effective, they are not as deadly from this distance as they are up close. "Take the Oytwood side!" directs Raven.
Dell stands up out of the riverboat, batting stray arrows out of the sky with his gloves, while Adrienne invests the others on the riverboat with magical ability. She focuses her goddess's power on the surface of the water, making it seem solid and thick, like slowly moving glass. "Out of the boat," she cries as strange creatures clamber up the sides of the boat and over the river chain.
Boggoblins, last seen by the Company near the mouth of the Javan, scuttle over the sides of the boat, while two sets of larger creatures, one looking like a watery troll and another hulking creature with large black eyes, breach the surface. The hulking creatures heavy scales ripple as it tears at the boat with huge mandibles, while shells and other ornamentation rattle off of the water troll's hide. The troll-like creatures share an unfortunate similarity with land trolls: sharp claws and fangs. The water trolls and the river-hulks seem uncaring that orcish arrows plummet in among them, but the boggoblins are more cautious, attempting to drag folk out of the boat and into the water.
Adrienne is the first out of the boat, staggering across the running water and clearing a space around her with her pick. Seeing the solidity of the water, the others follow, some running for the shore to close with the orcs, the rest forming a fighting line against the river beasts. The fight on the river is chaotic at best, with creatures bobbing up through the hard water, lashing at the Company's extremities. Antonus takes to the air after some beast breaks through the river one too many times.
The boggoblins and their allies are fearsome and canny foes. They recognize the Company's peril. Unable to breathe below the surface, the Company faces great danger if they are pulled beneath the water. Jasper is the first of the Company to be dragged below. Hands reach up through the water's surface and twine themselves around Jasper's legs. As they tugged on Jasper's legs, the surface of the water dimples and puckers as Jasper is pulled downwards. With a sudden popping sound, the surface of the water splits and Jasper sinks like a stone, boggoblins swarming over him.
Jasper struggles with the boggoblins, punching and kicking, but the boggoblins are many and violent. Jasper is pulled further and further under the water, the water getting darker as the surface gets farther away. Jasper's lungs begin to burn, and he throws himself about trying to struggle upwards to where the air is.
Raven frowns at the thrashing forms far below him. Throwing his longbow over his shoulder, he pulls out Frostbrand and thrusts it into the water, trying to strike at those boggoblins still in reach. The boggoblins recoil from him, and he reaches even further downwards into the river. Much to his surprise, the boggoblins have played him for the fool, and they swarm up towards him, grabbing hold and pulling him through the surface of the river.
Raven gasps in surprise, gulping in a last large breath of air, before he is pulled under. The boggoblins try to do to him what they are doing with Jasper, drag him to the river bottom and drown him there. Raven is a much more ferocious enemy though, and he easily throws the boggoblins off him, his experience fighting against the sharkmen and the Eater serving his well. Boggoblins fall back, stabbed, run through, and otherwise harmed, and Raven swims for the surface. The surface of the Javan parts like a cut tarpaulin, and Raven hauls himself back to the light.
Jasper's body thrashes and twitches as the last of his air is expelled from his lungs. The boggoblins, trying to drag Raven under, have been forced to split their attentions between Raven and Jasper, and Jasper takes advantage of it. Drawing his ki within him, he thrusts his fingers through the eyes of the boggoblin before him and smashes his skull against the boggoblin behind him. Ignoring the throbbing pain from his broken fingers and his cracked skull, he strikes out for the surface, his airless lungs burning within him.
The surface of the Javan is far away, and the light is dim. As Jasper feebly reaches for the surface, the light fades and fades. Jasper's will fails, and he opens his mouth to draw in a breath of river water. Jasper's body travels suddenly upwards and bright light fills his eyes as Raven hauls him bodily up out of the water and onto the surface.
Putting one foot on Jasper's chest and stepping hard, Raven continues to fight off one of the watery hulks. "Adrienne," yells Raven, "need some healing here!" A fountain of water sprays from Jasper's mouth as Raven continues to somewhat brutally use Jasper as a footstool to fight from. Adrienne ignores Raven's cry and concentrates on dealing with the troll-things before her. Perrin, on the other hand, runs over, ducking through the beasts and placing Phaulkon's healing prayer on the gasping Jasper.
Jasper smiles at Perrin as he staggers to his feet. "Get to shore," directs Perrin. Jasper slowly moves towards the shore, gaining speed, and catching up with the others.
After some delay getting out of the boat and avoiding getting pincushioned, Dell and Pfiffwin carefully head for the shore, trying to close the gap with the archers. Several larger orcs, taller and broader than the rest, step forward to protect the archers. They wear large metallic gloves with sharp edges on them and seem more heavily armored than the archers. Dell continues to desultorily bat the arrows out of the air. "See if you can't take one prisoner," says Dell to the gnome. "I'm not planning on it." Pfiffwin scuttles down the riverbank towards where a fetish-festooned orc exhorts his men to battle.
Dell, not having planned for a large battle across a raging river when memorizing his magics this morning, is forced to rely on prepared enchantments crafted by him and Winthrop earlier. As Jasper runs by, Dell reaches down into his belt pouch, grasping at the scrolls within. "Not that one," he mutters, leafing through the different colored ribbons. "Nope, that's for druids. Ah, here we go." Pulling out a scroll bound with a white ribbon, he reads the arcane words from its face and summons large chunks of ice that plummet down on the orcs along the embankment. Unfortunately, they also plummet down on Jasper, who has run in among them, punching and kicking them. The large chunks of ice cut a broad swath through the orcs, but also slam Jasper to the ground. "Crap," mutters Dell. "Al, cover Jasper!" he cries as he moves closer to the fight.
Al limps his way across the river, Perrin trailing along beside him, shaking his head at what has happened to poor Jasper, so recently saved. The fearsome water-creatures still struggle with Adrienne and Raven, preventing them from reaching the shore. The trolls and hulks slash, claw, and bite at the archer and priestess, drawing blood, but taking fearsome wounds as well. The arrows cease to rain down on them, and Antonus's magical bolts send the boggoblins scurrying back into the water. The Company is unable to finish their opponents though, as they can not give chase under the water's surface.
Having almost cleared the boat of boggoblins, Antonus is quickly distracted from his task when three grey-green shapes soar out of the water into the air, trailing muck and lily fronds behind them. The creatures, craggy of mien and bearing sharp horns, claws, and fangs, seem like strangely eroded statues, grown both ragged and smooth by the flow of water. The creatures loop up at Antonus, quickly closing the gap between the two of them. Antonus startles at their appearance and immediately tries to gain more altitude and evade them, but the creatures are faster than he is and pursue with great speed.
Behind the Company, on the opposite side of the Javan River, the orc archers stow their weapons and push bundles of reeds off of a large raft. Quietly, they pull themselves along the chain until they reach where the Company's boat lies jammed on the chain.
The sudden slackening of the chain alerts the Company that something is afoot, but none of them are able to take the time to do something about it. Raven and Adrienne are slowly retreating across the surface of the water towards the shore. Al, Dell, and Perrin are finishing off the last of the orc archers and their larger, bruising brethren. Perrin faith has seized one of the archers in Phaulkon's grasp, while the others begin to break and flee. The gauntlet-clad orcs are tougher than expected and occupy the Company's attention.
Pfiffwin though, he has snuck through the reeds at the edge of the Javan down towards where the orc shaman has been shouting epithets, curses, and other prayers. Slightly separated from the others, the shaman and his bodyguard seem to have not seen his approach, and Pfiffwin makes a plan. First, he stands in the rushes, enchants one of his gemstones, and lobs it at the shaman's bodyguard. Pfiffwin's eye is good, and his throw is perfect. It strikes the bodyguard in the chest, crushing it and, with a strange sound, causing all of the orc's weaponry to stick to one another in a mishmash.
The shaman is surprised by the gnome's appearance, but not so surprised as to be unable to respond in kind. Muttering vile curses and shaking the shrunken remains of a pixie at Pfiffwin, the shaman calls upon his deceitful god. Pfiffwin's body goes momentarily stiff, but he is able to shake off the weight of the foul creature's deity. The experience is a frightful one, and Pfiffwin realizes that he is far from any support from the others. Rather than trying to throw another stone at the shaman, Pfiffwin relies on his good gnomish sense. He pulls out his wand and points it at the marshy ground beneath the and shouts, "Trowel!"
Mud and grime spray from beneath the shaman, a hole being excavated beneath his very feet. The startled shaman scrambles to get out of the way, but his footing is too unsteady and slick. He slips and slides and then is in a pit almost as deep as he is. "Trowel!" shouts Pfiffwin, shaking his wand at the shaman. The hole continues to deepen, with the shaman flailing at the muddy walls, until it subsides upon itself, the mud sliding back over the shaman's head.
Antonus spins and dodges, trying to evade the pursuing creatures, but they are tenacious. Finally, he lines up two of them as he dives for the bank and the rest of the Company and lets loose a long, thin bolt of lightning. One of the creatures squawks and shivers into a thousand pebbles while the other narrowly dodges the lightning bolt. The remaining flying creatures dive for the water, entering through the surface with only a small splash.
"Hey!" shouts Antonus to the rest of the Company, who are victorious on the riverbank. "Stop congratulating yourself and let's get going. Don't you see what's going on?" Indeed, the orcs on their raft have met up with the Company's boat, and the two crafts are sailing down the river towards an ominous bank of fog that seems to have suddenly arisen. Antonus cries out in inner pain, "They're getting away with our stuff!"
