Session #33 (Part II)
Isilem, the 16th of Onk
When the moon had set the trees retreated back to their original positions, and by dawn the only sign of the night’s full moon dance was the many cloven footed tracks in the freezing ground. The wind whipped through the clearing and soon the whole party was awakened, shivering (except for Ratchis’ whose magic boots protected him from the cold). They heard the sound of many feet crunching in the snow, and looked up to see the cloaked form of Mardak the Elder, gnoll druid approach. He was flanked by Drenthris and Efner, and followed by a score of bugbear warriors. At the entrance to the clearing the Bear bellowed.
“And so you have completed the task despite the distractions of the Dance of Hennaire,” Mardak growled. He almost seemed disappointed. “I will take the sickle now.”
Kazrack raised the sickle and handed it to the towering and graying gnoll.
“Now you must leave here by midday,” Mardak continued. “And you may never return. The Bear will lead you back to your camp so you may gather whatever things you have left there and then out of the Circle. Ratchis, you need not contact us about your task (148). We shall know if you have succeeded or failed.”
“I am sorry to interrupt,” Jana said, stepping forward. “But one of our number was cursed by the pixies and lost his memory. I am willing to pay a price to have it restored.”
Mardak growled and Efner giggled his kobold giggle.
“Whatever fate he suffers, he deserves,” the elder druid said with a sneer.
“Maybe, but I am not here to judge,” Jana replied.
“Nor am I,” Mardak said. “I have not laid this curse upon him and so it is not in my authority to remove it.”
There was a pause.
“One last thing,” Mardak said, turning to address Ratchis. “The forbiddance I have placed upon your companions does not apply to you, Ratchis. You may return in twelve years to train your son when he is ready to become our champion.”
Ratchis was silent. Kazrack’s head jerked to stare, mouth agape, at his half-orc companion.
“What is he talking about?” Jeremy murmured.
“Now, do not dawdle,” Mardak aid, turning. “We have been generous to you, do not repay us by overstaying your welcome.”
The druids left the clearing, leaving the Bear at the entrance to guide the party back to their camp and then out of the forest.
“They seem harsh,” Beorth commented.
“Yes,” Jana replied.
“They are vile,” Kazrack said, spitting.
The party began to pack their gear, while Martin’s wizardly curiosity led him to search the ground where the trees had once stood to see if he could figure out how they moved and rooted and uprooted themselves. He saw no sign of their passage, but did find a strange thing near where the inner-most ring of trees had been. It was a bee’s wax candle, decorated with the bas relief of tall trees and moon-shapes.
He took the candle to Jana.
“Look what I found,” Martin the Green said. “Perhaps this is what those women wanted to give you last night.”
Jana took the candle and examined it. Martin cast a spell to see if it was magical, but no dweomer was detected. Jana examined it closely to see if she could sense if it were a witch’s token (*), but this was negative as well.
Meanwhile, Ratchis helped Kazrack pack his gear, while Jeremy sparred with Beorth to ensure that his martial skills were not among those things he had forgotten.
Soon, the made their way towards the Bear to be led back to their camp.
“I have never seen such an enormous creature,” Beorth said, while they were still several dozen yards from the Bear.
“We believe he is a man who can transform into a bear,” Kazrack said.
“I am a bear,” The Bear said in his deep growling voice.
“He has good hearing,” the dwarf commented.
“I was born a bear, an I will die a bear,” the Bear added.
“No insult was intended,” Kazrack said.
“We’re ready to go, Master Bear,” Jeremy said.
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The Bear led the party back to their camp where they gathered their gear. During the march Jana quietly tried to catch Beorth up on everything that had been happening, but it was too much and she kept having to backtrack to fill in details, or stop to answer the questions of the confused paladin.
It was nearly midday when the Bear finally led the party through the wall of thorns and to the place where they had first came up the plateau to discover the thorns themselves.
“Ratchis, do you know which way we are to go to discover undertake your task for Osiris?” Kazrack asked.
“I know the general area it can be found in,” Ratchis replied. “I was near there while the rest of you were detained in Ogre’s Bluff. It must be near where the hunters of Archet said the wild ponies could be found. However, I think we should rest here the rest of the day and night and set on tomorrow.”
“I would rather put as much distance between us and the Circle as possible,” Kazrack said.
“However, the proximity of the Circle may afford us some extra protection for one night,” Martin suggested.
It was agreed, and they made camp in the narrow space between the thorns and the plateau edge.
Jana spent the day continuing to fill Beorth in as much as possible.
“I know this is overwhelming,” Jana said. “But it is important that you know as much as possible so that you can make proper choices, especially if faced with any of our known enemies.”
“I will rely on you to tell me the truth,” Beorth said. “I do not know why, but I trust you.”
Jana gulped. “I don’t know, I don’t think the others will like that. Anyway, you should not rely on just one person to tell you the truth.”
“Why would the others not like my getting this information from you?”
“I have done things that have cast a very bad light on me and my intentions,” Jana explained.
“What? Did you kill someone?” Beorth asked, almost jokingly.
“Yes.”
“And were you punished?” Beorth’s smile faded.
“No, that is why I am here, to escape punishment.”
Beorth was silent for a minute, and Jana searched his face for some sign of how he would react.
“Am I… Am I beholden to travel with you and your companions?” Beorth finally asked loudly so that all could hear him. He scanned the make-shift camp taking in the others.
“You are only beholden to what your god desires,” Kazrack answered.
“Well, there is the contract,” Ratchis added.
The group then retold the story of the journey to Gothanius Castle and the ball as a group. Jana’s role in the attempted robbery by Markle and the others was glossed over, though Kazrack still glared at her.
At dusk, Beorth stepped away to pray, “Anubis, my friends have reminded me of my connection with you. I know that despite my loss of memory you have not abandoned me, and I will not abandon you, and I will struggle to overcome this disability and prove myself worthy of your grace.”
The party set watches, and in the morning they headed south by southwest, led by Ratchis.
Osilem – 17th of Onk – 562 H.E.
They were happy be out of the thick oppressive, often dark Forest of the Blood Sap, and in lower lands where the pines and firs were interspersed with scrubby trees and spread more far apart. They marched through the deep snow, with the biting wind in their face for most of the journey.
Ratchis led the way keeping the stream in view to their left as long as he could.
“I can’t wait `til we get to a cozy inn and a warm bed and a real meal,” Jeremy lamented, and everyone groaned in agreement.
At dusk, Ratchis chose the best camp site he could find, on the edge of a thicker portion of woods to the west, sheltered from the more open plateau, but not deep in the unknown woods.
Everyone was cold and exhausted, so Martin volunteered to watch the majority of night himself as his ring, Lacan’s Demise, made him do without but the barest minimum of sleep. He could still feel fatigue in his bones, but he would lie listlessly most of the night anyway.
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They built a small fire between their two tents, against Ratchis’ wishes – but even he had to admit that drawing the attention of undesirable was preferable to freezing to death.
“Sometimes I think you forget we don’t all have magic boots,” Jeremy had said.
“I have never hesitated to place the blessings of Nephthys on any of you, or even share my boots to protect you from the elements!” Ratchis replied angrily.
“Okay. Okay,” Jeremy said, squeezing into his bedroll. “You take things so damn literally sometimes.”
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The moon set, and the night was pitch black. In the distance Martin could hear an owl hoot for a good long time, and then there was no sound but the wind and the crackle of the dying fire.
The campfire was barely giving enough light to outline the adjacent tents, and Martin stood to find more tinder, when he heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow, emerging from the deep shadow of the wood.
The watch-mage forgot about the fire and turned to awaken Ratchis, but he cried out as he felt the bite of an arrow graze his shoulder. Blood poured down his left arm and the wound burned, as he threw himself into one of the tents. He heard sharp barking voices as the tall figure of a dog-headed humanoid stepped into the fire light.
“Wake up! Wake up!” Martin cried. “We’re under attack by gnolls!” He landed atop Jeremy who awoke with an “oomph”. Ratchis, who was laying beside Jeremy, snapped awake and his hand found his warhammer at his side. The deft half-orc rolled out of the tent, as Martin spoke an arcane word and touched Ratchis of on the shoulder as he left, and the Friar of Nephthys’ visage was blurred.
Jeremy grabbed his crossbow and began to load it. Kazrack awoke as well, and began to yell, “Everyone wake up! Attack! Gnolls!” Hoping that those in the other tent would hear. Beorth, being a light sleeper started awake.
“There are several in the trees!” Ratchis said, spying his hated enemy with his darkvision, and with that he charged, smashing the closest hyena-headed humanoid in the face, knocking it to the snowy ground. It struggled to get up, leaving it bow on the ground.
Unfortunately, no one noticed that another pair of gnolls were approaching the camp from another angle, and one swung his battle axe right into the smaller tent, where Beorth and Jana still sat. Jana was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, as the axe blade came slicing down on her. The tent pole absorbed most of the blow, but now the young witch had blood oozing from a deep wound in her head.
The gnoll Ratchis had knocked down rolled to its feet and swung his battle free in an awkward attempt to take out the half-orc’s legs. Ratchis leapt over the blow and then moved his hammer to block the attack of a second gnoll that rushed over to aid his companion.
Martin crawled out of the tent, as Jeremy snuck out the opposite side and made for the trees, crossbow in hand. The watch-mage pulled a bag of sand from his belt and sprinkled it before him, crying “Sumnus!”. The gnoll that had been chopping viciously through the tent to get at those inside, tumbled to sleep. Jana crawled out through the hole and waved to Martin to show she was all right.
“Yes!” Martin said, pumping his fist.
Kazrack moved to back-up Ratchis, swinging his halberd and missing, but distracting it long enough to allow Ratchis to get in crushing blow to the ribs with his warhammer. The gnoll was staggered, but did not fall. It swung its axe at Ratchis, grazing the half-roc’s bicep.
Beorth crawled awkwardly from the tent, sword in hand.
“Beorth and Jeremy are going to need light,!” Kazrack cried out, seeing Jeremy hesitantly approaching from the opposite flank.
Martin grabbed brand from the fire, hoping to use it as a torch, while Jeremy took the best shot he could in the dim light, and clipped the calf of one of the gnolls fighting with Ratchis and Kazrack.
“Watch where you’re shooting that thing!” Kazrack warned.
With a word from Jana, a dagger in her hand was giving off light equal to brightly burning torch. She lobbed it in the direction of the fight.
The gnolls squinted angrily, and Kazrack lunged to take advantage of the moment’s distraction but slipped in an icy patch, and fell face first before his opponent..
Ratchis roared and slammed his warhammer into the gnoll closest to Kazrack as it raised its battleaxe and it crumpled with a muted moan. However, this left him open to a deep cut to the hip from the other gnoll. Kazrack sputtered and sat up quickly, trying to get to his feet – but was surprised by a third gnoll that stepped out of the shadows and cleaved the dwarf’s helmet with a ringing blow.
Beorth ran up and swung his sword at the new opponent, but misjudged; swinging too early.
Martin spoke another word and the new gnoll was reeling as if bright flashes were popping in his face. Kazrack too the moment’s distraction to stand and thrust his halberd forth again, but even while stumbling about stupidly the gnoll managed to evade the dwarf’s blows.
Jeremy left off another crossbow bolt, and with his better sight the quarrel buried itself in a gnoll’s neck. It choked up blood, but still lived – dropping it axe to one hand to cover the wound with his other.
Ratchis took a swing at it, but it stumbled backward and ran into the darkness of the woods. The other gnoll attempted to run, but this time Beorth did not misjudge and stepped forward to swing against the turning gnoll. It squealed for a moment before dying.
There was moment of seeming silence and then the crunching of one pair of boots in snow became that of perhaps a half-dozen.
“There were more of them,” Kazrack said.
“There are always more,” Ratchis said, spitting a bit of blood. “That is how gnolls work, small scouting parties that test the quarry’s strength. This place is not safe. We have to break camp.”
“But first we have to do something about the dead,” Beorth said, solemnly. “I mean, right? That is what I do?”
“Yes,” said Jana.
Ratchis sighed.
“I can help you find stones to build them cairns,” offered Martin.
“That will take too long,” Ratchis barked.. “Burn them. Jeremy, help me with the tents.”
“What do we do with the sleeping one?” Martin asked.
“Kill him,” Ratchis said, coldly. “Put him out of his misery.”
“I’ll do it,” said Jana, with some relish. She walked over and pulled a knife, deftly slitting its throat as it snored.
“This tent is ruined,” Jeremy said of the smaller one., as he moved to pack it up.
“I can fix them with a spell,” Martin said. “Just wrap them up.”
“I will strip the bodies for what we might be able to use,” Kazrack said. He turned to Beorth “If that is okay with you.”
Beorth hesitated. “I think that would be okay. I seem to remember that spoils of war are allowed to be taken, or at least that makes sense. But perhaps part of whatever money is found should be donated to Anubis.”
Kazrack nodded absently, and collected long bows and arrows from the dead gnolls. He also found hide pouches full of coin. There were a handful of Thrician platinum coins, along with some Black Island and Herman Land coinage. He was most pleased by the silver dwarven obleks. (149)
Beorth set the bodies ablaze, and then party marched east by southeast, led by Ratchis, trying to put distance between the party and the wood.
End of Session #33
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Notes:
(148) Ratchis’ task was explained to him by Mardak in Session #30 (part ii)
(149) The ”oblek” is the common dwarven coin, being a small ball of precious metal flattened on one side and stamped with the rune representing that metal. An “oblek” is originally a measure of weight in the dwarven system equaling about 1/25th of a pound.
, Nemm is one $w33+ DM!!!! 
