Post by hubertbartels on Aug 10, 2019 14:26:17 GMT -5
The year is still 592. The weather is spring-like, thawing with some snow still on the ground. Gideon has been complaining about problems in the Kromwood all winter. From his fly overs, he thinks that there is something evil and dark at the heart of this small wood. The Kromwood is a remnant of a larger woods, watched over by a lodge of druids that were killed off by Iuz’s forces in the last war. Now, there’s something that Gideon wants us to investigate.
We are - Aerwyn, wizard, Gideon (druid), Sir Thabo (paladin), Saphie (warlock), Duncan (cleric) and Wolfram (rogue). And on this morning in the beginning of spring, we are headed out to the Kromwood to go have a look.
I, Aerwyn, was mounted on my Phantom Steed, Wolfram on his pony and the others on their horses. It took two thirds of a day to ride to the wood, arriving near dusk. Camp was laid out, watches were drawn and we settled down to a night’s rest. On the 2nd watch, as Aerwyn and Duncan were keeping watch, a herd of fallow deer jumped up and began running through the camp. Expecting trouble, we woke everyone.
The cause of the fallow deer’s panic soon showed. A chimera appeared and bit a deer in half. We soon killed it and returned to our sleep or watches. In the morning, we tracked the beast’s tracks back to its lair. The lair was dirty, filled with offal and rot grubs.
Gideon used his ability to speak with plants, trying to get a better idea where the dark area lay. Guided by his advice, we headed deeper into the woods. Soon, we came across a pile of dire wolf skulls and a makeshift hut made of branches and uncured hides. There was arguing coming from inside in a language that Aerwyn did not understand. Gideon changed into a bear and went up to the entrance. Ogres came pouring out, ogres with great spears and a leader with a rusty great sword, These survivors of Iuz’s army began to poke at the bear.
We killed the leader and most of his troop, sending a few wounded running off into the woods. Rooting around the ogre hut, turned up several human remains and their tabards – the Incandescent Blades of Pholtus. In their pouches, they had a fair bit of local currency and nondescript tabards.
One of the ogres was not dead yet. We woke him and questioned him. He told us that the Pholtans had been killed by Big Finger Rock. “Big Finger Rock – it short walk toward moonrise. Darkheart…. don’t go there – no, go there. Nice place. We waiting, waiting for the Dark One to come – then kill everyone and eat them,” he told us. Sir Thabo got tired of him and took off his head. A little while later, we tracked down the remaining ogres that had fled and kill them too.
Big Finger Rock was not as far as we had thought. Searching the area, we found that the ogres had not killed every human in that party. There was a survivor. We tracked his foot prints and we found him. Saphie talked to the survivor, calming him down. His name was Galonis and he was with a group of Pholtans, meeting a group of locals and supporting the Pholtan church in the area. When we mention that we were going to the “Darkheart” and dealing with the evil, there he asked if he could come along.
Heading deeper into the woods, the feeling of something evil, something wrong grew stronger. We marched carefully. Iuz’s armies had come though here and done something… bad.
Suddenly, Duncan, Aerwyn and Saphie, at the back of the marching order, were attacked. Phase spiders jumped from the etheral, attacked and faded out again. The next time they appeared from the etheral – we were ready and the spiders were taken out.