2rd Day of the Claw of Winter: (February):
The Trap is Set:
Mirafir completes his divination and the adventurers consider their options.
TEMPTER:
This stands for Dygath, his evil dealing and the possible trap ahead.
SEER:
This stands for yourself as you use your magic powers to find those hidden.
MERCENARY:
This stands for those forces awaiting us, tide to no Lord followers of?
HOODED ONE:
This stands for the force that needs to be overcome and who leads the other barbarians and bandits.
MERCHANT:
This card stands for the purpose of the Hooded One.
MISTS:
This cards stands for the nature of the Magic before you.
DONJON:
This card stands for the Mercenaries hide out.
THIEF:
This card stands for the skills acquired by your close companion.
DRUID:
This card stands for forces of good that lay within the surrounding areas, your mad Druid friend form the caravan duty and the Harpers.
This card fell out of the pack and landed face up.
AVENGER:
Something old and from your long ago past awaits you.
Frimly suggests that not all is what it seems and the thought of Bandits and Barbarians nag his thoughts.
Frimly: “Why did they not burn all the buildings? Just as cover? Hmm, they didn’t want to be identified and they wanted to draw us across.”
Galan: “Well we should not lose the trail of the Barbarians and Bandits. As long as we do not rush into it we can maintain a safe distance and see what is going on. They will make it obvious.”
The decision is taken to leave Sigune and Thora to help the search party following behind.
A façade is made of going back to Daggerford, when in reality Frimly, Galan and Mirafir decide to pursue the Barbarians and booted raiders. Galan sends our horses to the Laughing Hollow.
They swim across the Delimbiyr River. Frimly ascertains the direction that needs to be travelled in to get to where the tracks would be. Mirafir casts ‘Invisibility’ on himself while Galan finds the tracks – some booted footprints and several people on foot. Smoke is still rising from the village of Julkoun.
The tracks appear to cut down along the curve of the Sword Hills and not into the forest. Mirafir flies up to gain a vantage. He sees people are now on the other bank at the village of Julkoun but no one along the Southerly route can be seen.
There were more than 15 of the raiders. Galan sees that the humanoids on foot have gone off on either side of the booted men who contnued along the animal path. The ambush must be near. The three stealthy adventurers decide what to do next. Mirafir flies back and gets Sigune and Thora under the pretence that we have to visit Melandrach who has information for us on the raiders.
They go down to the place where the others crossed and swim across, then they move at the fastest pace possible to catch up with the others. Meanwhile Galan and Frimly do some reconnaissance of the ambush areal. They head Southwest towards the forest but then return to their hiding position and await the others to arrive.
While waiting nothing has happened. Mirafir flies up and sees something about a mile away. Mirafir casts ‘Clairaudience’ some flapping a tweeting bird and a crackling fire. There is rustling in the leaves and undergrowth. We stop and spend 9 minutes listening and we hear no voices. It’s a camp… Nestled between two hillocks…
The stealthy ones climb the mountain to ambush the ambushers while Sigune and Thora become the bait in the trap in the valley before. They encounter one of the ambushers in the mountains. He is a Barbarian with Javelin, a Short Sword and a Hand Axe.
Galan: “Cast sleep on him Mirafir”
Mirafir casts his ‘Sleep’ spell and the effect is encouraging: The Barbarian drops to the floor unconscious, in a deep slumber. Galan looks for more while Frimly goes over to examine the body. He has a couple of Javelins, one is painted blue, Short Sword, Hand Axe and he is painted in blue wode.
Galan creeps forward and looks for more enemies. Mirafir then flies up to get a better look around while Frimly dispatches his victim. Mirafir fails his perception roll (18).
The campsite is now visible to the adventurers. Thora and Sigune are now about half a mile from the camp. Galan tries to disbelieve the campsite as an Illusion and fails. Mirafir does the same and believes it is real. Galan and Frimly sneak effectively and find another of the Barbarians hiding in the bushes.
Frimly does what Frimly does best and takes out the Barbarian from behind, while Galan waits with an arrow notched. Mirafir flies to join them, having not seen the Barbarian but he thinks he can see something further back to the South of the camp. Frimly, however, fails to kill the Barbarian but luckily Galan is able to unloose a ‘Magic Arrow’ into his neck killing him silently!
Mirafir looks again down into the valley but can’t see anything – then he flies up and sees Thora and Sigune as they approach loudly. He decides to cover them while Frimly and Galan continue to circumnavigate the camp.
As our heroes move down the hill to the campsite, Frimly and Galan suddenly take damage as they are impaled by thistles and spikes in the undergrowth!
Suddenly it all kicks off!
Mirafir spots more movement on the other side of the vale close to the woods. They fire Longbows and miss! Mirafir launches a ‘Fireball’ towards them, and the inferno erupts with them at its epicentre!
Galan and Frimly attempt to jump out of the thorny entanglement they are trapped within – Galan escapes, by engaging his ‘Boots of Jumping’, but Frimly is just short of escaping from the enchantment.
A huge area of the forest is now on fire and Thora and Sigune cannot mistake the location of the battlefield. There are three of the attackers, Bandit Bowmen, – not Barbarians – in the wooded area. Two of them are burnt to death while one is still up.
Another Barbarian is revealed nearby, who Galan engages. Mirafir casts ‘Invisibility’ on himself again while Frilly waits.
Thora and Sigune run towards the combat zone.
A blue painted Javelin is thrown towards Frimly and Galan and misses – Frimly engages.
Then all goes silent around Mirafir as ‘Silence’ is cast on Mirafir who saves. Three Barbarians then attack Sigune and Thora!
Galan attacks a Barbarian in a frenzy of sword strokes! 20! Around 25 damage! But he is still up!
Meanwhile Sigune and Thora are under attack! Sigune takes a hit from a blue Javelin, thrown by a Barbarian, which releases an additional electrical charge! The others miss!
Galan finishes the Barbarian with his ‘Magic Short Sword’. Mirafir flies out of the ‘Silence’. Thora hits the Barbarian she is fighting for 17 points of damage! Sigune hits the Barbarian she is fighting while Frimly attacks his opponent and inflicts a hefty blow on him with an arrow! With her second attack of the round, Thora strikes down her barbarian.
Meanwhile, Galan sees 2 more Barbarians appearing from out of the tents from the campsite. Sigune strikes her barbarian, cutting him down, while Thora is hit by hers. Frimly shoots and kills the Bandit Bowman he has been fighting.
A Barbarian throws his ‘Magic Electrified Javelin’ at Frimly and misses. Thora hits her Barbarian attacker and fells him! Sigune rushes the hooded Bandit Bowman, he smiles and parries knowing that his Barbarian allies are closing in on her. But she strikes with a 20 and does maximum damage on him! It doesn’t kill him but he is very badly injured!
Mirafir can now see that a ‘Mist’ had formed on the hilltop where the Spellcaster was. Then suddenly Mirafir sees a Barbarian that had been sneaking up on him suddenly struck down by an Elf! Who? Where? What?
Sigune sees what she believes is a Druid in the forest drawing away the attacks of the Barbarians while Thora smites the hooded Bandit figure down!
Sigune: “Great teamverk, Sister!”
Thora: “Aye, scissor sister!”
The Barbarians that were about to attack them are now ‘Entangled’ by some Magic in the forest. Despite a warning from Sigune they continue to try to attack so the ladies shoot them with arrows.
The Elf is Mirafir’s father Eryn Lashir – a Wood Elf of the Misty Forest.
He looks directly at him, even though he is ‘Invisible’!
Eryn Lashir: “Mirafir, is that you? It has been many Elven moons since we last met!”
Mirafir gestures towards the‘Mist’ on the hillside, indicating that there is a spell caster hidden there…
Galan is firing flaming arrows into the tents of the campsite to draw out the remaining enemies. Frimly circles the camp in the hope that he will spot something.
The druid then moves into the Mist where the enemy spell caster was. Eryn Lashir vanishes into the flora and Mirafir casts ‘Detect Magic’.
Sigune and Thora revert to their hand-to-hand combat weapons. They engage separate opponents that have escaped from the entanglement. Sigune strikes her barbarian (20) inflicting a vicious gash on him!
Thora gets hit by a ‘Magic Lightning Javelin’ thrown by a Barbarian!
Mirafir’s ‘Detect Magic’ reveals magic within the mist but he can’t tell if it is friend or foe…
Eryn Lashir attacks the Barbarians, Thora hacks one down and so does Sigune!
The Magical ‘Mist’ disappears and a Druid appears on the top of the hill. Did he Dispell the ‘Mist’?
Mirafir: “Where is the spell caster?”
Druid: “Ha-ha! Heehee! Gone!”
Mirafir: “Well that’s good! No longer a threat I hope?”
Eryn Lashir strikes his Barbarian and injures him badly, Thora says:
Thora: “Keep this one alive!”
And she pommels him, thinking him unconscious. However, her mighty blow killed the Barbarian, even though she was holding back.
Sigune finally kills the last Barbarianoffering resistance. There are now 14 Barbarians accounted for, 5 Bandits and one Spell Caster.
Eryn Lashir calls out for Mirafir.
Mirafir: “How are you father? Have you heard the news of my mother?”
Eryn Lashir: “She is with you in Daggerford? I am here because I protect these lands. I have no idea why these raiders are abroad at this time. A Paladin and a Cleric amongst you will know what spells they had.”
Mirafir to the druid:
Mirafir: “What of theCcleric, should we let them escape? Or are they already dealt with?
Dwergrim the Hermit: “Gone! Ha-ha! Gone!”
Thora: “Elves to busy picking holes in each other!”
Eryn: “And you Dwarves are always picking holes in the mountains!”
