Eaglesford Campaign: "Strange Lights"

[Gina]

Changes: The Longwood Farm and Three Oaks

Morning came and Tieran decided to take another look at the magical backpack. He noted several things of interest about it. There was something inside the “dimensional pocket”. He said that the pack could hold much more than it looked like because it has some sort of dimensional pocket in it. However, due to it being damaged, he did not suggest any of us putting our hands inside since we might draw back a stump. So, he tried a mage hand to get the object out and was not surprised when it didn’t work. So, we saved that little mystery for later, when we could find someone to fix the bag.

We set out then, back to the road and on to Three Oaks. We estimated that we would reach the Longwood farm in time for a nice noon meal there. We were certain that they would welcome us, since our last visit had saved so many of them from death.

So, we walked along the road, reaching the turnoff to the Longwood farm near noon. As we approached it, we heard the sound of hoofbeats. After a moment we decided that Kytum-up should hide beneath the mound of Owlbear parts on the travois we had rigged up from some tree limbs and blankets.

We waited then as the horsemen approached, perhaps a dozen of them, carrying a banner with a symbol of the empire on it and a starburst design. Must have been the symbol of their order or whatever it is that soldiers have.

They halted as they saw us, their captain speaking to us from horseback. The captain asked us our business. All of the soldiers seem to want to know our business, I suppose they ask that of everyone these days, but really, how many are likely to admit that their business is to spread evil and chaos throughout the land? Anyway, we told him that we were bound for the Longwood Farm, for a visit and then on to Three Oaks. The captain nodded, appeased for the moment and then seemed to notice the Owlbear pelts and heads on the travois.

During our introductions, the captain seemed uncomfortable about me being a “Priestess of Eliwyn”, a druid. I don’t understand that, but who knows what is in the minds of people these days. Still, I know that there are others of my order fighting in the wars, so it is strange that he should be so wary.

He gestured to the hides on the travois and asked what they were. We told him. He and his men looked rather surprised, seems that they had been charged to go after the Owlbear and kill it.

A group of adventurers, led by a cleric of the Great Church, named Callan Daleson had gone out after it several days before. There had been four of them, Callan, a human, an elven woman, a half-orc, and a dwarven man. Sounded a lot like the bodies we found in and around the Owlbear’s lair. We told the captain as much. He looked surprised, but told us to go to Lord Philwen in Three Oaks to get the bounty on the creatures.

Then, he and his group moved off to continue their patrol. As they did, we noted that most of the soldiers looked very young. They must be taking them on patrol to get them seasoned before sending them to the front.

After the soldiers had gone, leaving nothing but dust behind them, we moved on to the Longwood’s farm. There were a great many changes since our last visit. The first of these was the large, wooden palisade that had been erected around the farm, there was a partially completed gatehouse, it was as if the farm were a village. Anyway, as we walked through the palisade, we saw that much was the same, but there were also great changes here. The houses, barn, chicken coop, and other buildings still stood, along with newer ones. There were also tents and pavilions, seemingly occupied by new people as well. Yes, the farm was well on its way to becoming a village.

James Longwood, the elderly man who had been locked in the root cellar during the spider attack, limped forward to greet us, having been fetched by one of the children upon our arrival. I think the child’s name was Louise, yes, Louise Longwood. James looks well these days, he seems to have regained a sense of purpose with the recent wars and hardship. His time as a member of the legions shows plainly in his shiny armor and weapons, his bearing is dignified, his limp less pronounced than it had been before.

He greeted us, and introductions were made. I had a moment when I forgot my new face and wondered why he did not recognize me. I shall have to get used to that, but it is difficult since in my mind and heart, I am still nearly the same person.

He conveyed several pieces of information to us, after greetings were exchanged.

 Lissia went North with Garret to fight at the front.
 Two Centuries of Legionnaires are now garrisoned at Three Oaks
 The goblin problem has been dealt with
 Three Oaks is not as it was when we were last there, there are large military camps near the town, many soldiers in town and around.​

When we asked about the walls, he told us that they had been erected by a wizard in the service of the Empire, very much like the new stone walls in Eaglesford. The wizard who came was called Aramir, and he works with Moira in Three Oaks.

I noticed some new construction under the main house, though no one mentioned it. In fact, they all seemed rather uncomfortable about us being there and certainly about us poking around.

I got Thaile and we went inside the main house to take a look. As I distracted the farm people with some tales of our escapades, Thaile noted a chest that looked as if it had been moved a time or two to allow access to a trapdoor beneath. Still, there were too many people to check farther.

We had a lovely meal and were soon ready to move on, hoping to make Three Oaks before nightfall.

As we prepared to leave, I threw caution to the winds, turning to Uncle James and asking:

“So, what is it you are building under the main house?”

There was a stunned silence as everyone turned to stare at us, well, me in particular.

Then, Uncle James took control of the situation, leading us a little away from the rest of the group. He asked us why we thought that they were building something under the house. I explained what I had seen that tipped me off to the construction and he told us that they had been told to keep quiet about it, and asked that we do the same.

The area under the house was built to be a “safe house” for Aramir and other wizards. They don’t enter from the house and the Longwoods don’t know where they enter from. The room has been in use a time or two already, but if anyone becomes aware of its existence, it will be dangerous for the wizards who use the room as well as the Longwoods.

Strange that Wizards need a place to flee to, I would have believed that their towers were sufficient. This makes me wonder if there is a similar place in Eaglesford, as payment for the wall there.

Being the daughter of a carpenter is useful sometimes. I was able to give Uncle James a list of the things that had suggested to me that there was construction below the house. He seemed eager to address these issues, hoping, I guess to hide all evidence that the room even exists.

We bid them good day and continued our journey to Three Oaks, arriving near dusk. We moved quickly past the large military encampments toward the city gates. We were questioned upon our arrival, but the guards let us in after we answered their routine questions. Kefk stayed outside the town, Kytum-up coming in with us to see where we were staying. He and Kefk agreed to switch the circlet between themselves, which would allow each of them to spend some time in town.

We arranged accommodations at the Griffon’s Claw inn. There were many Legionnaires there, relaxing, I guess. Something seems strange about the soldiers I have seen in town, but I cannot figure out what seems wrong. I shall have to think on it, perhaps it is simply that there are so many of them when I have seen so few soldiers in my life.

The rooms were expensive, but Mor’Elandi used his elvish pompousness to great effect, getting better rooms and meals included from the landlord. We arranged to stay for five days. It seems a long time, but we have a great deal to do in town. Interestingly, the landlord was most eager to take gold. It seems that much business these days is done with letters of credit and he was not kindly disposed toward the practice.

After we settled in, Mor’Elandi went about some secret mission of his own, Thaile went to the House of Darmon and to the Great Church, I went to the House of Korok, making an appointment with Brother Mamet for the next day at two in the afternoon. Tieran remained in the room, studying his spellbooks.

July 21st
Morning came and we made our way downstairs to have a mediocre breakfast in the inn. Mor’Elandi told us he may have a lead on getting some of the damaged goods repaired.

After breakfast we went to the castle, to gain the bounty for the Owlbears. We waited for a long time, Lord Philwen is very busy these days, it seems.

During our wait, a young woman came to see us about repairing the damaged magic items we had. She introduced herself as Sorell, an assistant to Zameet. She was a mousy-looking creature, soft spoken and shy. She was, however, very willing to assist us. We sent the bag with her to be repaired, the armor and bracers needing an armorsmith to be repaired.

We inquired about potions and scrolls. She said that she might have some potions lying about and we should come later to speak of them and possibly purchase them. Scrolls we might get from Damien or Zameet.

She seemed almost in awe of Tieran. Strange, I have never been particularly in awe of him, but then, I have known him for a very long time and have seen some of his more spectacular errors in judgement. Of course, I must also admit that he has known me for just as long and has seen my own errors as well, and I suspect that mine are greater in number!

After a long wait, we were taken in to see Lord Philwyn. The Herald spoke for a while. I am not clear on what he said, after the first few minutes, I wasn’t really listening anymore.

Eventually, the long-winded fellow gave up and Lord Philwen moved forward to ask some questions. The steward moved to take the Owlbear parts away. Tieran and Mor’Elandi stopped him and we moved into another room to begin negotiations.

After negotiating for a while, we received two letters of credit for 1,000 gold pieces each in payment for the Owlbear pelts and skulls. When I questioned whether shopkeepers would take the letters of credit, the steward said that yes, they would all take them and did we know someone who was reluctant to do so? We moved on to see Zameet, saying nothing more about the letter of credit.
Zameet had some scrolls available and was able to help us determine the command word for the ring of Enlarge Person that we have. It will enlarge one person, once per day for six minutes. Thaile suggested that I use it for now, since it might be useful in combat.

Tieran will come later to speak with Zameet about what scrolls he will be purchasing.

When we left the shop it was nearly time for our appointment with Brother Mamet at the House of Korok.

 

[Nail]

Locale Description

The Town of Three Oaks

Location: Near the northeastern border of the Kambron Empire. East of the vale of Eaglesford, and the huge ruins of Keprok. The local economy is based on farming, lumber products, and trade.

Physical description: The town was built along a prominent river bluff and its grove of oak trees. At the time of the town’s founding, three great oaks stood at its center, giving the place its name. (Only one of the original trees remain – casualties of giantish raids – but two other oaks have been planted to replace those lost.) The town has many more trees than most human settlements, but in most other ways it is a typical large empire town: a merchant’s and artisan district, a garrison and castle, a temple district, a central market square and commons area, etc....but no one would call it a city.....at least no one that's travelled.

Population: about 4000, mixed race with human predominant (75%). There is a significant population of dwarves, halflings, and half-orcs.

Government: Ruled by a Lord and Gentleman of the Empire, Lord Fillowyn Serixson (human male, age 47). Lord Fillowyn has a well-known court wizard, Magus Zaamatt, and an evangelical court priest (of the Great Church), Father Gareth Eisenhauf (human male, age 35).

Local Notables the party has met

• Brother Mamont, Master Maker and Wright of the Guildhall of Korak
• High Wayfarer Dinaed Haypenny of the House of Darmon
• Holy Mother Shinea Elareth, Matriarch of the Healing Halls of Morwyn
• Moira, Sage of the Ruins
• Kaleal, Centaur Druid of Three Oaks
• Jingles Goldhill, Travelling Pedellar of Trinkets and Treasures
• Magus Sorell, Assistant to the Court Wizard of Three Oaks

 

[Gina]

Many Days in Three Oaks...

Several Days in Three Oaks
July 21—July 31
We had received our bounty for the Owlbear hides and heads and were ready to have all of our questions answered by the wise and learned priests of the Temple of Korak.

It did not work out that way.

The priest of Korok, the big “expert” on Alder’s Look and the area was Brother Mamont, the one who had supposedly called upon the power of his god to remove the orcs from the Garresh so many years before.

I had a long list of questions to ask him. Sadly, he had no real answers, being too caught up in dogma even to think for himself. I am glad that Thaile is not like that, though I fear that she may soon travel in that direction unless we get her away from this city and the Great Church.

The orc tribe he dispersed at the Garresh was the Black Hand (at least he knew that much).

As to Alder’s Look, it was built (in his opinion), for the worship of demons and other such abasements. He knew nothing of the area before the fortress was built nor of any history of the fortress. It was defaced by pious men due to its evil purpose.

The Tests of the Gods are an abasement and evil.

The children of the old ones would obviously be the Div. Though, they, not being evil would not be associated with Alder's Look.

We didn’t even bother showing him the rubbing of the copper disc.

I mentioned that I had been “told” that when we die, we do not go to Maal, but instead move toward a great voice....bad idea to even mention this, he seized upon it like a dog with a bone. He demanded to know who had told me such heresy, I made up a name for my “teacher”. I am a poor liar, but he is a fool, so I think he believed me, at least to the extent that I was not arrested for heresy.

At least we know that the folk of the temples are not the ones to seek information from.

We asked Brother Mamont about the Temple of Zheenkeef. We had heard that it had been abandoned recently and wondered what had caused such a thing. He told us that the temple had burned to the ground in one of their drunken revelries and no great loss to the city.

We went and set up an appointment with Moira. She may have some answers. Then, we went to work on our task of buying and selling things. Each day we were in town, it took much of our time to go from place to place searching for a good price on various items, trying to get the best price for what we had to sell. I found it tremendously dull, but went along anyway.

The time for our meeting with Moira came and we were shown into her tower by Logan, her servant or apprentice or whatever he is. I am not certain what his function is, or even if he is a wizard, but he was very polite.

Moira made her usual grand entrance, while Thaile looked somewhat disapproving. She is incredibly mistrustful of Moira, but then, she trusts the folk of the temples and I do not.

I find it interesting that Tieran and even Kytum-up and Mor’Elandi seemed captivated by her very presence, but then, she is very beautiful. Still, they are singularly unimpressed by Thaile or myself, or in fact, any other female we have ever come into contact with.

We spoke to Moira for quite some time. She seemed reluctant to speak openly with us, telling us more of “what the Great Church or the temples say” is true.

She was able to tell us the Alder’s Look was built thousands of years ago, perhaps by a race related to the orcs. The current orcs are probably a corrupted version of the children of the old ones we have spoken of.

We showed her the rubbing of the copper disc and she was quite interested in it. Ancient, she said, a summoning and binding spell woven into it. She had no more idea than we did what had once been in the center, before it was ritually defaced. If we recover the disc, she would be very interested in examining it.

I showed her the drawing I did of the rune in the “fear causing” room in Alder’s Look and she said that it was a rune to cause fear and that she had never been able to find any other purpose for that room either, though it was strange.

Still, she was amused by the story of Tieran being pulled by Riva from that room to the “orcish baths” like a wizard pull-toy.

I spoke to her a little about my experiences after dying and she was very guarded in speaking of these things. She did not seem surprised to hear that I was the same Rowan, but then, she also said that she was with Kaleal when he scribed the scroll, so I guess it would not come as a great surprise. Still, she seemed not to be overly disturbed by my rebirth.

She also seemed to know what Kytum-up was, as if she could see through the illusion the circlet bestows upon him. I wonder how she does that. We have been calling him “Ralph Needipin”. He prefers Ralph to Needipin.

Really, she seemed very uncomfortable speaking of any of this with Thaile present. I determined that I needed to return later without Thaile. Mor’Elandi was in agreement and said that he would say nothing and return with me.

The next few days were spent mostly in buying and selling. Tieran was scribing scrolls, totally disinterested in what we buy or sell beyond scrolls for him. In fact when we asked him, his reply was this:

“I am disinterested in matters of what we sell. In general we should sell all acquired items which can not be put to daily use by one of us. We should have magical weapons and better spells. Now, if you will excuse me, I will return to my scribing. By the way, Thaile, while you are out shopping will you pick up some nice looking shoes for me to give to the mage's assistant? I does not think I am very good at questions of fashion. Thank you. “

scribe...scribe...scribe...scribe...scratch_nose...scribe...​

There was also the incident with the innkeeper. He was kind enough to bring Tieran’s lunch to him, since he had not come down to eat (busy scribing you know). Well, we’re not sure what Tieran cast on him, but he was quite groggy for several days and still won’t go anywhere near him for any reason.

His dog, however, seems to adore Tieran and mounts his leg at any opportunity. Maybe its the gravy on his trousers, but in any case, the dog is near anytime Tieran is in the common room.

I went to the animal trainer and he knew little of Owlbears, but then, I know little of them myself. He did, however, say that he might be able to find a buyer for the egg. I decided to think on it for a few days and get back to him.

I would like to keep the egg, but I fear that I do not have the time to raise it properly. I could leave it with Graystone, but I am not certain what he would say about that. We did get a warming blanket made, magically to keep the egg warm though, so I do not have to decide immediately.

Thaile and the others wonder why I am so interested in keeping it. I wonder why they do not see how wonderful it could be to see such a creature grow up!

Three days after our first visit with Moira, Thaile went to the Great Church to deal with the rag-amulet. Mor’Elandi and I saw this as a good time to visit Moira again.

She was reluctant to speak at first, commenting that as it was dangerous to speak to temple folk, so it might be unwise to speak openly to close associates of such persons.

I spoke more of my experiences while dead. She expressed concern that I may have been misled by evil gods or demons. I told her that I am certain that what I saw was true, but she did worry me a bit, made me wonder what would happen if my visions were false.

She loosened up a little after that and we spoke of the tests. She said that there were several testing grounds, she had seen others, but never one that was active. She was very interested in Slithia and what had happened in the active tests.

We asked her what she knew of the tests and of the building of Alder’s Look and others. She replied that in the early days of the empire, many of the records of such things were destroyed by the Great Church as it grew in influence. Most records of this time and times before have been destroyed. Those few which still exist are exceedingly difficult to locate.

The other test she saw was in the North. From her description, it sounds very like the one in Alder’s Look.

We spoke to her of Kerchick and the Mystery of Purity. She is certain that the orcs will not be able to summon Kerchick, which is very good. She was not able to tell us what the water from the font of purity might do, but she was able to tell us that with the font broken, its properties would be weakened.

She listened to our tales of the Mysteries of Purpose and Patience and warned us that the next, the Mystery of Infinity (endlessness) would likely prove a challenge since it could drive us mad. It has something to do with contemplation of numbers, magic numbers. We should look to Tieran for this test, he will be the one best suited for it.

The next two should be the Mysteries of Focus and Duality, or the Two. The last set of two are, as far as her research tells her, the Mysteries of Grace and Power. The final one is the Mystery of One. So, we know more than we did before, at least.

So, as far as we know the mysteries are as follows, four sets of principles and then the final test:

Purpose—Purity
Endlessness—Patience
Focus—Duality
Grace—Power
One

We asked her about the Temple of Zheenkeef and her story differed slightly but significantly from that of Brother Mamont. She said that there was an altercation between the Zheenkeefans and the Great Church. Soon after this altercation, the temple burned to the ground.

The members of their order are known to drink heavily, so it may very well be that their revelries got out of hand.

We left Moira and went back to the Inn. Thaile and Kytum-up had returned from the Great Church, where they had taken the rag-amulet (from the trolls) to be dealt with. At the temple were Brother Mamont, Magus Zaamatt, and Father Gareth Eisenhauf Court Priest of the Great Church.

They detected magic upon the item, lit some incense, and said that the item was evil and needed to be destroyed. Then, they took it away. Thaile asked a few questions but not surprisingly, received few answers only prattle about church orthodoxy.

The next morning, I mentioned that Mor’Elandi and I had gone back to see Moira and that we had spoken to her about the tests. Perhaps I should never have mentioned it.

 

[Gina]

An argument....

Tieran, noticing that Thaile is preparing to blow up steps in first:

We have traveled far enough to recognize water under the bridge.

Had I known Rowan would have told Moira about the tests, I would have counseled against it.

I think it naive to believe that Moira does not know how to find, penetrate and activate the tests. She is certainly of enough skill to hear our thoughts, should she so desire. The only obstacle which prevents her from taking the idol and a bunch of henchmen down to the throne room is her own sense of ethics which I cannot read. I do not believe she is above deception.

Likely her appearance is altered to manipulate men. It is unnatural for mages to simultaneously attract elves, humans and kobolds. As I know you have noticed from our time together, most mages are average looking at best, Mrs. Wiggins aside.

I strongly suggest we pull it together, get out of town and beat it back to Alderslook once our work in Three Oaks is done.

The sooner we remove the idol from town the better. If we decide that we should take the gaseous route through the rock pile I would rather scribe scrolls in a barn or with the kobolds.

Rowan:
I didn't tell her anything about the tests except to ask about them. SHE KNEW that there were such tests. She guessed that there was one under Alder's Look. It would have been counterproductive to lie to her about it. She has also never been able to activate one of them herself.

I don't understand why all of you think that it is better to lie than to tell the truth.

And by the way Tieran, if this is what you think of other wizards, then I can only wonder what is in your mind. I thought that I knew you, but now I suspect that there is a darker bent to your imaginings. Makes me think that you may eventually turn on us, if wizardry is so very corrupting that power becomes the end of all.

As to Moira's effect upon males....well, some women have that. I suspect that wizards, as the rest of us, come in more and less attractive packages in the same proportion as the rest of society.

In any case. I shall refrain from speaking to anyone unless given express permission in future. That should solve all such problems. (Rowan, sits down, obviously angry)

Thaile, close to blowing her top, but trying to keep it under control turns to ask Rowan a few questions:

"Why did you go behind my back? At a minimum I think we should have talked about this. If you felt it was better to go back without me, maybe that could have been arranged. We are a team and have made some promises to keep this under wraps, which is the main reason I didn't feel that we should tell her everything.

She does have her own agenda and now that you have told her where the tests are and where we are going, how can you be sure she will keep it to herself? That she won't intervene and take the idol to do the test herself?"

She stops and takes a quick breath...

"I understand the fact that you are not trusting of the church, and I respect that, but what makes you so certain you can trust Moira?

Rowan responds, growing impatient, her face flushing as she begins pacing the small room:

You wouldn't have let me go without you. She wouldn't speak freely around you. I took Mor'Elandi along, even asked Tieran if he wanted to come, but all I got from him was a hmmmm and an OK.

She has her own agenda true, but I'm pretty sure her agenda doesn't include killing us all to take the idol, if that was her plan, she could easily have disposed of us in her tower with no one the wiser. I suspect that she knew that the idol was there, she even saw through Kytum-up's disguise, I am sure of it.

We now have more information than we did before, which will probably help us. Kaleal trusts her and I know that HE is trustworthy, thus it follows that she is relatively trustworthy too.

The fact is that there was no one in this city to whom I could speak frankly about my experiences while dead. The churches would likely have had me killed, the regular citizenry would have recoiled in horror.

What was I to do? Let it burn in my mind with no possible explanation? Wait until you fall far enough under the spell of the great church to tell them so that I will be executed for the greater glory of the church?

In the end, the simple fact remains that none of you trusts ME at all. You all think me a fool and maybe I am. I don't even know who or what I am anymore. I thought to get some answers.

I also wanted to know what might be coming so that we could be prepared. We went totally unprepared into the first few tests. We lost Riva because of not being prepared, several of us nearly died on various occasions because we were unprepared. So, forgive me for not wanting to see another of you dead at my feet and unable to do anything about it.

I apologize and will never again take action without express permission.

But, you didn't tell any of us what transpired in your meetings with the church folk either. I did not ask, I assumed that you had your reasons for going to speak with them.

Oh, by the way, I sold my egg, so none of you need worry about the problem of carrying it about.

Rowan tosses a pouch of gold on the table

Now, if it meets with your approval, I am going to take a walk.

Thaile runs after Rowan to continue this lively discussion.....

"Rowan, wait up... You are right, at this time I haven't talked with you (or the others) about my trip to the Great Church. That is because that is personal, and I need to figure some things out. At this time, it hasn't really affected the rest of you.

Telling someone that not all of us have decided to trust about our mission and the kobolds does affect the whole group. We have made some promises to the kobolds to keep this secret and up until now we have done a pretty good job of keeping those.

One of the things you mentioned is a bit different though.. your experiences when you were dead and wanting to talk about those.

I do understand your right to go and do that with whomever you chose, not needing any consent from me or any of the others. I am sorry that you didn't feel you could talk to me or that you do not trust me to not to go the church. Your friendship means the world to me, or I would not have even considered bringing you back.

Bringing you back from the dead goes against everything I have been taught by the churches, but it is you, yourself that has taught me to be more open to different possibilities. For example, ultimately it was you that got me to trust the kobolds and see that they may be something other than what I was taught. The reason I decided to help bring you back is because it was your wish and that alone carried a lot of weight with me. I know I give you a hard time for all of your chattering, but you have excellent ideas and I do listen and take them under consideration.

I am sorry you feel that your view does not count and that we dismiss it lightly. I, for one, do not. It just makes me open my mind more to hear it and to take it under advisement. I for one, like the fact that we do not think exactly alike - otherwise life could be quite boring.

As far as the egg, I am sorry you felt you had to sell it, I know how strongly you felt about trying to raise it. I was willing to see it back to Eaglesford and see what Graystone thought of the whole idea. Whom did you sell it to?
Rowan, are you willing to try to talk about all of this?

Rowan walks for a while, her face red, her shoulders set. Finally she sinks down under a tree and looking down as Asmathias pools himself in her lap. She says nothing for a while as she strokes the snake. When she does speak her voice is low and calm, she sounds tired.

I wouldn't have asked you about the church. I thought that you would tell when you were ready. We had asked about the tests, Moira had guessed that there was one under Alder's Look, I confirmed it. She still doesn't know how to get there. She cannot detect the door by magical means and I doubt she's up to several hours of digging.

It took us six hours and WE knew where the door was. Not once did the word Kobold passe my lips in conversation with her, though she made it clear that she knew what he was. Clearly she can see past illusions.

As to telling her of our mission, we don't really even know of our mission.....the tests, well, as I said, she had already guessed that there were tests below Alder's Look, we simply confirmed that.

Now we know what the tests will be....at least in part.

The first two principles are Purpose and Purity. We have passed both of them.

The next Patience and Infinity or Endlessness, we have passed Patience. She says that Endlessness can drive one mad and we should look to Tieran for help in this mystery.

Then come Focus and Duality, and the final pair are Grace and Power.....the last is the Mystery of One, she doesn't know what it means, but this is far more than we knew before.

None of the tests have ever become active for her as they have for us. I suspect that if she went to them, she would see deserted and destroyed tests. For whatever reason, we have been chosen for this. Though I could be wrong about this.

I feel very certain that she doesn't pose a danger to us and is better to have as an ally than an enemy. What she seeks is knowledge, knowledge for one such as her is power. I suspect that she also has her own problems to worry about. After all, wizards are making bolt-holes to hide in and she is definitely nervous about something. She is also going to see Kaleal soon, at the front, to the North. That might be enough to make anyone nervous.

The fact that she is trusted by one as venerable as Kaleal means a great deal to me. He has traveled with her as I have with you and the others, so I suspect that he knows her better than most in this city. Do I trust her? Not entirely.

The only people who I trust with my life and those of my loved ones are you, Kytum-up, Mor'Elandi, Tieran as long as he is not sending a fireball blindly ahead, Graystone, Reena, and perhaps even that crazy old witch, Hara. It is a very small number.

I truly believe that I have not endangered any of us.

I spoke to her of my death and rebirth. I was taught the same things that you were about religion, about death. It was a great shock to me to find that it was false. Moira even asked me if I were being misled with false images sent by evil gods. I do not think that this was the case, but it is something that I must consider as time goes on. It was a very strange time and it changed me in ways that I do not understand. Do you know, I cannot even go to my mother? She would see a stranger, but Moira recognized me behind these new eyes.

If we thought exactly alike we would all be dead, for Riva would have insisted that we all think like him! (Rowan laughs a bit at this). We would forever have been rushing forward to do battle before we were ready.

I sold the egg to the animal trainer because I do not know if I will survive these tests and it seemed wrong to leave it for Graystone if I should not return. If we survive, I do not know that I would have the time to see it raised properly, so I gave it up. It deserves to be raised by one with enough time to see to it and one who wants it. This is not the time for me to do such a thing.

Rowan there are a couple of things that you have said that are bugging me and I want to talk through them because I think they affect the way we will interact as a group in the future.

You said a couple of times (once to me and then to Tieran as well) that you will no longer talk to anyone with out express permission from the group.

I think that is over the top. I don't think that you should take it that far.
I think as a group when we are talking about our mission it should be a group decision what we tell someone. When we are talking about things that are personal and affect mostly us, like my dealings with the Great Church or your wanting to talk to someone you trust about your experiences when you were dead. I think it is fully an individual decision. I don't want us to go to extremes.

The only thing we ever talk to outsiders about is our mission, unless we are purchasing things, so it is likely better for me to say nothing in most situations.

Clearly, both you and Tieran think that I am a poor judge of character and this may be. The fact is that we will be seeing no one except for shadows and orcs in the coming weeks, so this will be moot anyway.

I also understand that you feel we can trust Moira and you may very well be right. I certainly trust her more because you feel this way, but I am still a bit leery I must admit.

I have said over and over that I do not trust her fully, however, it seems that both you and Tieran think that she is some creature of evil, ready to kill us and take the idol from us. Is there no middle ground between "She wants to kill us all and take our stuff" and "While she has her own motives and reasons, she can still be of assistance to us?".

Things are not always black and white!

One of the things that happened after we were last in Three Oaks is that you felt "watched" on our journey. I always had strong suspicions that Moira was behind that.

Now if you trust her, maybe you would say she was watching us to make sure that we were safe and considering nothing else really came of it, so maybe that is it. I think that as we leave Three Oaks this time, you should really pay attention to if you feel that and then we should watch to see what kind of things happen around the times that you feel you have been watched.
At the time, I thought it could be Moira. The one watching still could have been her, but I have also wondered if the watcher was someone or something else.


The feeling came upon me more and more as we neared the Aldersmere. It could be the watchful eye that I felt while I was dead. I truly don't know. Whether she was watching us or not, she has not taken action against us and has no real reason to, unless you believe her to have so black a heart as to wish to kill us and take what we have. The fact remains that we will not give up the idol without a fight.


And, as I have said before, if she wanted to take it, we had it with us at her tower. She could easily have overpowered us there in her own home and taken it with none the wiser. If she were so black-hearted as all that, she would not have thought twice about it.


My personal feeling is that she probably knows more than she is telling us, but not much more. She seems to be eager to gain more information about the tests and we may well be a conduit for that information. Slithia indicated that there are many totems, it may be that Moira can get her own totem and proceed through the tests herself at a later date.


Also, you keep saying that we would rather lie than tell the truth. Aside from Moira at this point we have not told the entire story to anyone. I would not consider this lying, rather protecting ourselves. I have been extremely careful what I have told Mrs. Faegen and those at the church because I know much of what we have found goes against their beliefs. I fully trust Mrs. Faegen she has been a great teacher throughout the years, but I am not sure what her reactions would be to the whole truth and to protect ourselves as well as the kobolds i have leaned toward the side of caution. I am just trying to clarify what I see as a difference between lying and being cautious.

There may be a difference between lying and being cautious, but there is also a point where we have to trade information for information. Now, if you believe that none of the information I received was of value, fine, I made a poor decision. It was not the first and will likely not be the last. I am flawed as we all are and do make mistakes at times. Would you tell me that you have never made a mistake, what of Tieran, Riva?

Mrs. Faegen seems less trapped in dogma than others of the churches, but the fact remains that she knows little that can be of assistance to us, so it is not the same situation.

Maybe lie is a stronger term than I should have used, but the fact is that between trusting all and trusting none, there must be a middle ground or we shall never get any information! Why did you even permit me to go to Moira in the first place if you are so certain that she wishes us harm?

I still stand, however, that I have not given all that much away. For her to find the way down would take a long time. We KNEW exactly where to look and had trouble locating it. She knows for certain now what she suspected before, that there is a testing ground under Alder's Look.

You said that Moira already knew about the tests but she herself could not activate then. Did she know that an idol was required to activate them? Did she have an idol and still was not able to activate them? I strongly believe that if she took the idol from us that she and her group could also activate the tests. What's your take on this?

Actually, we did not speak at all of the totem or of the need for one. We primarily spoke of the tests and what they were about, what we might be facing as we move forward in them. We spoke more of what Asmathias said to me when he came to me and what it might mean and of the children of the old ones. If Brother Mamet had proved to be of sufficient intelligence to be helpful to us, I might have discussed the very same things with him.

We also spoke of the other testing grounds and the fact that the defacements were done by the Great Church in the early days of the empire.

It seems that they were quite eager to destroy such things with magic. Alder's Look resisted the magical destruction which is why it was done with chisel and hammer by hand. I also think that this is possibly important information.

It seems that you and others would see us go in blind rather than share information.

I also suspect that if Moira wanted to activate the tests herself, she could find her own totem, but in point of fact, that word was never used, nor did I ever mention that the tests seem to have become active due to the dragon idol.

What it all comes down to is something my mother said a lot when I was little and afraid to do something. If you take no risk, you gain no reward.

In future I shall probably just stay in the wood when we go to towns, since I seem only to cause trouble.

The rest of you should discuss this. If you feel that my breach has been too terrible, then tell me to leave and I will go my own way with no ill will.

Let me know your decision before it is time to leave, if you would be so kind.


Rowan and Thaile walk back to the Inn in silence only to find the others waiting to continue the conversation.

Thaile brings them up to speed on what has been said, as Rowan sits, staring out the window, absently stroking Asmathias.

Tieran begins, seemingly picking up from his previous comments:

With regard to Moira, I have little to base an opinion of her morality. I have rarely been to Three Oaks and have only met her fleetingly. Certainly she is interesting and I hope evolve a professional relationship with her. Under the pressures of time, however, I am viewing her with caution.

Rowan, the heart of a wizard is unlike that of a druid. The behavior of druids is motivated by a desire to seek balance and harmony with nature. You are drawn to trees because they are peaceful and giving. Thaile, the heart of a cleric is also understandable. Clerics serve the doctrine of their god(s).

Wizards, on the other hand are much less predictable. The path to greatness is long, tiresome and sometimes outright dangerous. Why would someone pursue such a life? In my experience, wizards are drawn to their art by either curiosity or power. Just think of how controlling Mrs. Wiggins is. Her motivation is certainly not curiosity!

As for me, the motivation is curiosity. I am fascinated by the interplay of energy and matter. Curious wizards generally protect life. (The dead can only share the secret of their entrails.)

Curiosity may be Moira's bent, also. Often curious wizards are reclusive, paying little attention to that which is ostentatious. How would it serve such a wizard to have a tower, fly a flag and wear an amulet which alters her appearance, I do not know for certain that she possesses such an amulet, it is merely speculation. Thus, I suspect Moira may be preoccupied by power. This may or may not help us.

Vote you off our band? Oh, pleeeaaazzze. I think the city is getting to you.

As for the innkeeper's dog... Are you sure he is not the Orcish animal master? Think about that next time he mounts your leg!

As to Mor’Elandi’s opinion:

Everyone is an individual and has to make their own choices as to what's best. Not only best for them as individuals like Rowan talking about her time being dead with Moira, Thaile's discussions/trips to the Great Church) but also what's best for us as a party. With the exception of Kefk, who has made it clear time and again that his priorities lay with himself and his clan, Mor'Elandi does not feel anyone in our party would willingly endanger another with their actions or inaction. Whether everyone necessarily agrees with the choices made by another is another matter entirely, but they are entitled to make them in the first place.

Moira, through arcane means and/or her relationship with Kaleal the Centaur Druid, knew much of our adventures and current plight before Rowan said anything beyond what we all brought up in our first trip to her. She let us know that she knew Kytum-Up was a kobold (how his guise was penetrated I'm unsure), Rowan's death & rebirth into her current form, etc.

Since we were confirming firsthand what she'd already heard secondhand (or through arcane means or whatever) and offered her some new information of our own I do not feel our party owes her much of anything though she did confirm the presence of the tests, their number and titles, and an occasional tidbit about a specific test. The issue of the idols was *NEVER* brought up, nor was the exact location of the entrance to the tests or the kobold tribe's city. I think the information we gave her was a fair exchange for what she shared with us. If we decide to call it quits right there, I don't believe she'd be unhappy with what she's come away with.

On the other hand, if we are committed to bringing her new information with our next adventures in the tests, then I think she would be willing to make sure we have the means to acquire that information for her.

Of everything that has been mentioned or is possible, I think Tieran's plan of using his magic to allow us to move down the rubble-filled stairs from the throne room to the tests in gaseous form is an idea well worth considering. For that we need six scrolls and I don't think any of us relish the idea of spending nearly another week here in Three Oaks or back in Eaglesford giving Tieran the time he needs to prepare them. To that end, I think it's worth bargaining with Moira and her wizard. We know what she wants, let's see if she can help us with what we want or think we need.

The worst case scenario I honestly feel will happen is that she says she's not interested. After all, she can scry on us and or likely take anything we have if she really wants it already. I think her motives are pretty straightforward, really, all things considered: she's after secrets (as so many Tinelans are). What she does with those she has we can't begin to know or control, so why worry?

**********************
From the Journal of Rowan, Druid of Eaglesford

So, arguments completed, we asked Moira and Logan if they could provide us with two scrolls of Gaseous Form, while Tieran would scribe an additional four, prolonging our stay by a few days, but allowing us to make a clever plan that can not possibly fail to get us into Alder’s Look unmolested!

During the last four days of our stay, I spent some time brewing potions. Kefk and Mor’Elandi left a few days before the rest of us were ready, taking the supplies that Kytum-up had purchased for the Kobold tribe to them.

 

[Gina]

Leaving Three Oaks

At Long Last We Leave Three Oaks
August 4th
As we made our way to the city gates, I noticed a woman who seemed to be watching us. I tried to follow her, but she was deep in conversation with someone. I could swear that I had seen her before, but I may imagined it. In any case, we did not see her again as we set off on our journey.

The road was busy near town, but as we moved farther from Three Oaks, traffic thinned out considerably. We walked, two aside, talking quietly among ourselves, enjoying being on the road again after nearly two weeks in town.

Suddenly, Thaile rose straight into the air, shrieking! Before any of us could react, she was twenty feet above our heads! She rose high above our heads as we struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Tieran, activating the orcish brooch, could see the creature. It was large, he said, human-shaped and it was lifting Thaile farther up. Up she went, thirty feet, thirty-five...it was hitting her as well.

We stood helpless, hearing her screams but unable to do much about it. Tieran was the only one who could see anything, so he cast spells at it, but aside from blindly striking at it, there was little Kytum-up or I could do.

As I cast produce flame and hit it by aiming close to where Thaile was held, another person moved into the fray. A tall young man with red hair, armored in chain mail, leaped from the top of the hedge, landing near us.

Thaile had, by this time, recovered enough to try to escape. The creature allowed her to do so and she dropped forty or so feet to the ground with a sickening thud. The creature, Tieran informed us, had gone to the other side of the hedgerow and he could no longer see it.

I moved through the hedge and was hit by it. Hard.

It nearly killed me before I was able to get away, across the road and into the hedge on the other side.

As I retreated (or rather, ran like a frightened rabbit), Kytum-up, Tieran, and the red-haired man were just topping the hedgerow. Tieran said that the creature was gone and they climbed down to where Thaile, having healed herself was doing the same for me, though I was in no mood to leave the relative safety of the hedgerow.

Thaile said that the creature had spoken to her. It said “Tamen Arbroth”. None of us knew what it meant, but all of us knew that we didn't want to face that creature again.

The red-haired man introduced himself as Torsten Longwood. We asked if he was related to the Longwoods who lived nearby and after a short conversation, we determined that he is Lissia’s older brother. He had until recently been at the front in the North, fighting the giants.

We decided that a night at the Longwood’s was a good idea, since we had taken quite a beating already, so we began to walk toward the farm, Torsten along with us.

As we walked, Torsten fell in beside me, asking if I was a priestess of Eliwyn. Odd question, but I answered him that yes, I am a Druid of Eliwyn. He waited until we were a good distance ahead of the others and asked the following question:

Is it right to save a child of a monster race of the parents have been slain by humans?

Can such a child be redeemed?

It was in that moment that I knew that Torsten and I are going to be great friends.

I answered that, in my opinion, yes, it is right to save that child, since it is innocent of any wrong-doing. Killing such a child would do no one any good.

All creatures with free will have the chance of redemption, in my opinion. I also told him that others likely would have differing opinions.

His follow-up question was much harder to answer: Why do the “good” gods grant powers to clerics who perform evil deeds?

I was unable to answer this one, thinking of Garrett, Kytum-up, and the slaughter of the non-warriors of the Goblin clan.

I told him of this event, not mentioning any names, and he seemed unsurprised by it. In fact, he seemed as if he had seen all of this and more in his time in the North. I also told him that we had come across a tribe of creatures deemed evil by most who turned out to be very different indeed. About this time, I noticed Thip (Tieran’s bat) perched on my backpack, so he knew what we were speaking of.

Torsten said that he had seen priests commit evil acts many times in the North. It had sickened him.

We walked in silence a while, moving toward the farm and a quiet night’s sleep. Torsten was quiet, deep in thought, which seems to me unusual for a warrior, Riva not having been so given to introspection.

As we drew closer, I bade Torsten ask his question of Thaile and Kytum-up.

Thaile said that she did not know the answer to either question anymore. So much has changed and so many new questions have been raised since we set out on our quest for adventure. I think she preferred it when she believed that all of the answers were there for her in the church.

Kytum-up looked distinctly uncomfortable at the question. I suspect he was thinking of his part in the killing of the goblins and perhaps of his own tribe. According to all we have ever been taught, all Kobolds are evil, yet his tribe is not, they have changed, been redeemed by their change of worship.

After asking us to speak of it to no one, Torsten confided in us that he did rescue a giant child and that she is at the Longwood farm, being cared for by his family for now. Her name is Dagda.

As we moved on, down the road to the Longwood’s, Torsten stopped us. A two person blind was nearly concealed in a tree, two archers ready to loose arrows upon us. They greeted Torsten and let us pass. Soon, we were at the still-unfinished palisade surrounding the farm. There seemed to be even more people than before, as if all of the local farm families were gathered here for protection.

If the farms do not produce, it will be a long winter indeed. Their crops will be in the fields, but if the orcs decide to destroy them or the farmers are unable to tend to the harvest, there will be starvation.

The Longwoods greeted Torsten like the long-lost son he is. They were all happy to see him. We spent a quiet night and I got to meet Dagda. She is very like any human child I have ever known, just much, much larger. She does not know her own strength, but she is delightful. I played with her for a while in the evening before bed.

Torsten’s father and Uncle James made ready a small house for Thaile and I to sleep in, not wanting us (delicate flowers of womanhood that we are) to have to sleep with men who might have less-than-honorable intentions. I pointed out to them that Kytum-up is not human (he looks to be halfling right now) and Tieran is a wizard (and we all know about wizards!).

Still, both gave Torsten very stern looks before time to retire. I found it very amusing. I noticed him staring at Thaile tonight over dinner. How amusing.

 

[Nail]

I must admit, I really like how alot of the "personal stuff" has been able to come out. Rowan's tone of voice really comes through here. (Can you imagine trying to bounce a baby giant on your lap?)

We didn't have much in the way of combat (the players were very business-like, and resolutely skipped as many side-tracks as they could). Plenty of Q&A though - and perhaps some problems and mysteries are a bit clearer. There's still plenty of in-character discoveries left - secrets revealed, connections made...that sort of dreck - that should provide suitable enjoyment.

Our group is in summer hiatus now. We just finished several weeks of once-a-week gaming nights, but now we'll have to suffer through roughly a month without. I'm out of town for the next two or three weeks myself. Have a good July, everyone!

 

[Gina]

On the road again....

August 2
Night passed without incident. After a hearty breakfast, we were off, moving again toward Eaglesford.

We were making good time, travelling along the road quickly and with little conversation when we heard a horse coming. It was moving fast and would be upon us soon.

The others moved off the trail, not wanting to be run over. I stood at the edge of the path, ready to jump away if need be. The horse galloped into view, a man in the uniform of the Legions stretched low over the horse’s neck. I stepped out, hailing him.

The horse stopped. The man did not.

SMACK! Right into a tree, head first.

I calmed the horse, as Thaile tended to the now unconscious soldier. He had two orcish arrows stuck in his back as well as a brand new head injury.

Thaile healed him and he came awake with a shout about orcs and an ambush.

It took a few moments to get a somewhat coherent story from him, but it seems that there was an ambush, “hundreds” of orcs attacking ahead about half a mile, maybe more. He was bound for Three Oaks to get more help.

He remounted and rode fast toward Three Oaks. We moved forward, to see if we could aid his comrades in their battle, hoping that hundreds was an exaggeration.

We heard the battle before we saw it. We moved into the underbrush to gain a bit of cover as we heard the battle. We moved closer and were able to see orcs coming toward us.

We could see several ogres, the big, scary creatures. I took the time to make my self larger and stronger. Made my quarterstaff magical as well as taking a moment to call lightning too. It took a while, but finally, I was large and ready for battle not taking any chances this time. I seem to have become more cautious of late.

Torsten had already rushed into battle and Tieran was using spells to great advantage, tossing a fireball at a group of orcs who drew bows on us.

Thaile summoned some spiders which took care of one orc handily, then she pulled out her trusty crossbow which allows her to fight from a distance.

The orcs and ogres holding the legionnaires were not moving toward us, in fact, they seemed to be toying with the soldiers until we drew closer at which point they began working on killing them rather more seriously.

I moved into combat as well, using my quarterstaff and lightning. Torsten fights with a strange weapon, a two headed hooked hammer. He says it is gnomish, but I have never seen a gnome big enough to wield the one he has.

After a while, dead orcs and ogres littered the area and three of the four legionnaires were dead. We had vanquished our foes, but too slowly to save those who needed our assistance.

We paused a moment to gather our thoughts as Thaile and Torsten prepared to loot the bodies of the fallen orcs.

 

[DrSpunj]

Well, at least now I know what kept you guys busy up the road. I thought you were just being lazy and/or sleeping in pretty late given how far I had to come back to find you.

Nice job, Gina!

DrSpunj

 

[Gina]

Q: How many Orcs can there possibly be? A: A lot.

August 2nd
We had paused a moment to gather our thoughts as Thaile and Torsten prepared to loot the bodies of the fallen orcs.

The surviving Legionnaire’s name was Larissa. She was badly injured, so I healed her while the others moved toward the bodies of the slain orcs.

Our moment was indeed just that though, I had scarcely had time to cast a healing spell on Larissa when we heard running feet and a familiar voice calling “Keep running!”.

Moving to the road Torsten and I saw Mor’Elandi and two legionnaires running toward us, fast, pursued by four more orcs.

Mor’Elandi and the soldiers ran right past us, stopping somewhere behind Torsten and me, in the brush. The orcs charged up to attack us.

Backed up by our archers and Tieran’s spells, Torsten and I acquitted ourselves well in the battle, and soon these four orcs were dead as well.

We left Kytum-up with the three Legionnaires while the rest of us moved up the road to see the aftermath of the battle Mor’Elandi told of about.

It was a scene of carnage.

Twenty or thirty bodies lay around the clearing where they had been ambushed. After a few moments, we realized that these were the very same soldiers who had left the Longwood’s not far ahead of us. All of the bodies had been stripped of valuables, weapons, and armor. A few dead horses lay about as well.

After a quick search, we realized that the Captain and the Wizard were gone. The clerics who had traveled with the patrol were dead and all were accounted for except the Captain and Wizard. We assumed that they were taken by the orcs for some purpose.

Mor’Elandi found a trail indicating which way the orcs had gone, but after a bit of debate, we decided that we needed to get the soldiers to the Longwood’s and take care of the bodies before following the trail.

The dead orcs were all of the Bloody Spear clan. They are ranging farther from Alder’s Look, moving closer to Three Oaks.

Either there are many more of them than we thought or Alder’s Look will be sparsely defended with their forces so divided. The former would be very bad, the latter, very good for our mission.

We divided the bodies into two groups, orcs and humans for burning. Burning the bodies took a long time and by the time we were finished the forest was beginning to fade into the semidarkness of late afternoon, orange sunlight filtering through the trees.

The forest is truly beautiful at this time of day and I would normally have taken time to admire it, but this day, I worried more about reaching the farm before another attack.

So, we moved as rapidly as we could manage toward the Longwood farm. Torsten and Kytum-up took the lead this time and led our little column resolutely toward our destination.

Suddenly, we spotted an orc standing at attention on the side of the road, partially hidden in brush. He did not seem to have noticed us yet.

Kytum-up moved to the side as Torsten charged forward. Both came to a sudden and awkward stop. We all paused, unable to see anything that might have stopped them.

After a moment, we realized that the reason for the sudden stop was that they had both run directly into the web of a big spider.

A second later, we noted that the big spider was home and seemed to think Torsten a tastier meal than Kytum-up, since it chose him to bite first. He let out a cry as the spider bit him, then, working his way out of the web, Torsten killed it.

We cut Kytum-up out of the web. His dignity seemed wounded but he was otherwise intact. Torsten required a bit of healing, but was mostly fine. The orc ahead had not moved at all.

We moved forward, cautiously, and found that he was dead, probably killed by the spider, held in place by the web wrapped around his body. He was, as the other orcs had been, of the Bloody Spear clan.

We arrived at the farm at nightfall. We set up our watches, prepared to set out in the morning to seek the Captain and Wizard from the legion.

During second watch, a commotion was heard at the gate. Thaile and Mor’Elandi were on watch at the time.

A farmer burst into the compound, injured, screaming that his wife had been taken by orcs. He was hysterical.

Mor’Elandi thought to calm him by smacking him.

Thaile helped by joining Mor’Elandi and together they chased the hysterical, wounded man around the compound for quite some time, two of the farm boys joining in to subdue him.

Eventually, they subdued the farmer and upon rendering him unconscious took him to one of the bedrooms and tied him to the bed.

When I asked them later why they had chased him, their answer was that he wouldn't answer their quesitons and they were trying to "calm him down". I am continually amazed at the clear thinking and wisdom of those around me.

Having awakened enough to see the last of the “fight”, I took over from there, tending to his wounds and untying the poor man. He awakened an hour or so later and was able to tell me a little about what had happened.

He and his wife were asleep in their house. They had been warned to leave, but had chosen to stay. The orcs had come and taken his wife. He had tried to stop them, but had been wounded in the process and had then come for help. He then told me of being attacked by “crazy people” upon his arrival here.

I gave him my word that we would recover his wife for him, backed up by Thaile who came in to check on him. He wasn’t all that happy to see her, and given the circumstances, I understood why.

We all went back to sleep, getting a little rest before first light.

 

[Gina]

Rescuing the Farmer's Wife

August 3rd
Morning and again we were at the Longwood’s. Again, we were to be delayed in moving on toward Eaglesford and then Alder’s Look. Still, after a bit of discussion, we realized that we all were of one mind. The farmer’s wife DID need to be rescued and we were the only ones up to the task right now.

So, we went to Jeren Elgon’s farm, leaving its owner in the care of Torsten’s mother and aunts.

On our way to the farm, Thaile and Tieran noticed something odd about Mor’Elandi. He had a distortion of some sort above his head. After a few moments (during which none of US could see whatever they were discussing) they determined that it was a scrying sensor. Someone was watching us.

Mor’Elandi was singularly unconcerned and pointed out that there was little we could do about it in any case. So, we moved on toward the farm where Mor’Elandi could pick up the trail of the orcs.

He did pick up the trail in short order, determining that there had been five or six regular orcs, two or three ogres, and a few bugbears, but no more than three. They had taken many things from the house and the largest of the group had left carrying the woman, most likely.

So, knowing that they had a good start on us, we moved on, following the trail. As we moved on we paused occasionally to let Mor’Elandi ensure that we were following the trail accurately.

We felt that we were getting close, when out of nowhere, I felt a tremendous whoosh of wind hit me. It staggered me, doing a lot of damage in one strike!

Tieran activated the orcish brooch and helpfully informed us that our windy friend was back. Lovely.

I moved away and it hit me again. Between us, we managed to drive it off again. Well, more accurately, I looked for a place to hide while the others drove it off.

After it was gone, we worked on getting me healed again and discussed the creature. It had said nothing to me, but then, it WAS pretty busy trying to reduce my new body to a paste.

We wondered though if it is a wandering creature or if it has been summoned. We came to no conclusions and moved on, feeling an urgency to complete this mission before moving on.

As we moved, we noted a few corpse ravens circling in the sky, very high. There were only two to be seen though and they were quite far away.

Mor’Elandi moved forward, ahead of us to scout. He found the orcish raiders, about 300 yards ahead, camped in a clearing. He could hear them talking and laughing.

Mor'Elandi gave us a description of where they were and a general layout of the camp after we moved back to prepare ourselves for battle.

I gave myself and Torsten each a Bull’s Strength spell, then gave myself a call lightning and a magic whacking stick, deciding to wait to enlarge until we were closer to the fight.

Then, we began to sneak toward the encampment. We managed to get pretty close before we were noticed by one of their patrols.

Mor’Elandi threw out an Entangle spell, while I sent a Briar Web to another small group of them. Tieran augmented the Briar Web with a Black Tenticles spell, effectively taking three of the orcs out of the battle.

Torsten rushed in to engage the two enormous ogres. One of them began singing as he moved toward the fray.

A singing ogre, well, that was JUST what we needed to make our day complete!

Mor’Elandi and Thaile set themselves up to pick the orcs off with arrows. Torsten had rushed into battle with the two ogres, one of the guards was moving toward Tieran who was off by himself somewhere in the back and I was moving forward, preparing to move into battle. Kytum-up moved forward to engage the patrolling orc, intercepting him before he got too close to Tieran.

Tieran got the two large ogres and part of the tent in a fireball. A moment later, the singing mercifully stopped as Torsten took down the orcish bard.

The other was still there though and he looked injured, but still menacing. He took a lightning bolt and looked a little worse after that.

The flap of the now-burning tent opened and a dog came running out. It looked rather fiendish and it went straight for Mor’Elandi, but was unable to attack him as he had the foresight to have a Protection from Evil active upon himself. So, the dog followed him, snapping and snarling, but unable to attack.

The large ogre was hard to take down and it took some time. During the battle, once things were under control, I espied a figure exiting the tent, carrying a human shaped bundle. It was the farmer’s wife, still struggling feebly.

I moved closer, being able to move through the forest more easily than the others and nearly caught up to him. He kept running, I pursued, reaching him and whacking him a good one. He dropped the woman and tried to flee. Lightning bolts dropped him soon enough.

The woman was injured and had been abused most horribly. The orcs had raped her, repeatedly it seemed. As I looked at her, I understood more than I had before why Reena’s mother cannot bear to look at her. The poor woman’s clothing was in tatters, most of it gone.

I pulled out some clothing for her to dress in as Thaile and Mor’Elandi arrived to help tend to her, the rest of the orcs dispatched. Her eyes were awful to look at, quiet sobbing the only sound she made.

We burned the orc bodies and got the farmer’s wife and ourselves healed as much as we could. I wonder at her mental state, she doesn’t speak, doesn’t seem to react to anything. I worry about her and what will happen to her. I feel terribly sorry for her and her ordeal. If we had gone after her last night, perhaps we might have saved her this horror.

We traveled back to the Longwood’s, intending to go on to Eaglesford the next day.

When we arrived at the farm, Thaile stayed with the woman and I went to speak to her husband, trying to explain what had happened to her, asking that he be gentle and patient with her. When she went to him, he patted her awkwardly.

I still fear for her sanity. I wish there was something I could do for her.

That evening, we saw corpse ravens flying above. None were directly above the farm. James Longwood thinks that they were near Keproc. I wonder if Keproc is part of the “Orcish Homeland”.