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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ancalagon" data-source="post: 7207713" data-attributes="member: 23">SESSION 6 Obviously, I am still alive, or else this is really the writing of a well-educated orc with a penchant for sick jokes. We rested some, and Taelsyn came to his senses. We discussed the distribution of the treasure more, and decided that it would be most efficient if I were to wear the elven chain (because I am in combat more often), Taelsyn were to wear the Jump ring (so that he would not have to memorize the spell), and Torin tried out the protection ring. Taelsyn climbed a short distance up the tower to the remains of a floor about ten feet off the ground. Looking out a window, he reported that there were no orcs in sight. We decided that we should get some rest, so we lay down in the room under the tower. Grayleth promised to wake us if orcs approached. That night, Finis was awakened by a root poking him in the shoulder. He woke us up, and told us that he heard voices. Taelsyn's used his keen hearing to determine that they were orcs, scouting around the tower--probably no more than four. We decided to stay hidden. The voices soon drifted away. Taelsyn put on Finis' cloak and scouted around, but found nothing. Grayleth told us that he had moved the pony into the forest when he heard the orcs coming. Hopefully, they don't even know we're here. We're going to try going back to sleep. June 2nd We woke to a bright, sunny morning. Grayleth told us where we could collect some berries for provisions, and Finis caught some fish. I picked as many strawberries as I thought we could stomach (they are still green). I was gone longer than I thought; by the time I had returned, the others had already searched the valley for fallen wind chimes--apparently Grayleth missed their music. The chimes soon rang cheerily through the valley, for the first time in centuries. I am glad we did something to repay Grayleth for his help. We soon packed our supplies, thanked him again, and headed east. We have traveled through the entire day without rest. We are now camped on a hilltop, by a large boulder. Although we are not all fully recovered from our injuries, we are in much better shape than before. If the orcs catch up to us, however, we will not last long. June 3rd Disaster truly struck us today; we lost a friend and valued ally. May Prometheus protect his soul. In the earliest hours of the day, long before the sun was even close to rising, a patrol of four orcs approached our camp. Torin was keeping watch; he woke us when he heard their voices. We prepared for a fight, taking cover, and preparing our ranged weapons. Taelsyn slipped off into the dark. As the orcs came close, Finis illuminated two of them with a spell he calls "faerie fire". We opened fire on them with our bows and slings. They seemed somewhat confused, and the dwarves charged them. It was a terrible fight, and Blades was knocked unconscious by a terrible blow. One of the orcs drew a horn and blew it loudly before I could stop him. We eventually killed them all, but we knew that many more would be close behind. We did what we could for Blades, which was not much, lay him on the pony, and ran as fast as we could. When the sun was close to rising, we stopped again by a pile of rocks on a hill. We hoped that the orcs would not pursue us during the day, as they hate the sun's light. We placed Blades and Finis (who was also in bad shape) in the shelter of the rocks, and sat down to rest. A loud scream was soon heard, and the sound of a horn blowing. The horn's note was quickly cut off, however. The scream sounded just like the noise that frightened us so, the night when Taelsyn was possessed. Worried that whatever it was might come for us next, Taelsyn went to find out what it was. He stealthily walked into the darkness. We should not have let him go alone--we should at least have given him the elven cloak. We soon heard the scream again, and then saw the "noon" effect of Taelsyn's wand of illumination go off. Torin and I immediately charged toward the bright light. As we neared the area, I cast an Aid spell on Torin, and he drank the potion of heroism. We charged down into the area between several hills, above which the bright light had appeared. A terrible creature awaited us there. It was a giant cat-like monster, with intelligent, malevolent eyes. It roared again, and charged us. This time we were not affected by its roar--that trick will not work on us again. I noticed several of Taelsyn's arrows sticking out of its side, as well as some slashes (probably from orcish weapons). Its most notable wound was on its head--it looked as if it had been hit by something very heavy, or run into something at full speed (it can move at a remarkable rate). Taelsyn must have given it quite a fight. Torin resolutely braced himself for the charge, and Prometheus granted me a flame blade. Twice did I strike the creature, but it did not fall. It hit us as well, but the blows were not as bad as I feared they would be. It growled at Torin, and seemed about to pounce on him, but Torin roared back at it (which is also a frightening sound!) and swung mightily with his battle axe. The blow was incredible--he took its head right off in one blow! He spent a short period of time shouting at the carcass, and we began to look for Taelsyn. Sadly, we soon found his partially-eaten remains. There was nothing we could do for him. I took his ring, some rations, his spellbook and other papers, and whatever other useful things I could find, said a brief prayer for him, and then used my flame blade to cremate his remains. I'll be damned if I'll let those orcs get their hands on him! I wish we had time to give him a proper burial, but we would be joining him unless we moved quickly. Returning to the camp, we set out yet again. When the sun was high in the sky, we decided we could go no further. We lay down, again by some rocks, and slept. When evening fell, we resumed our flight. Although Taelsyn did not talk often, it seems strange to be traveling without him. Nonetheless, we must press on. While walking through a valley, we found the remains of a wolf, apparently crushed by one of the huge stones lying about. Worried that giants were around (giants with good aim, as well), I suggested that we should get away from here quickly. It was at that moment that Torin, back at the entrance to the valley, shouted "The boulders are rolling down the hill towards you, and you're blissfully unaware!" Although we were somewhat confused by the strange wording of the warning, we collected our wits quickly enough to notice that all the boulders, which were previously just lying about, were indeed rolling toward us! We dodged several of them and breathed sighs of relief. Then we realized the boulders were turning around and heading towards us again! Obviously, these were living creatures of some sort. Noting that they had difficulty going uphill, we ran up the rims of the valley. Once we reached the tops (Finis on one side, I on the other), the boulders seemed to lose interest. The dwarves wisely avoided the valley, and we went on our way. Hopefully, the valley will trap a few orcs, if they are still following us. We will continue to march through the night, after a brief stop for dinner. Our thoughts are all on Taelsyn. June 4th Most of today has been spent in rest. It became cloudy in the evening. As we prepared to set out again, we heard a loud roar above us, like a lion, and the flapping of huge wings, but we saw nothing. After traveling for a couple hours, we came upon a ruin--really just a stone doorway leading into a hill, actually--with "Hiisi" written on the entrance. Finis tells us that he was a nature god of the local pantheon (the "tuatha Daydonnan"). The druids have been taught that he is an evil nature god, but Finis is skeptical about these teachings. I must admit, I am curious about what lies inside, but the door is guarded with glyphs and wards, so entering could be very dangerous. We also have little reason, besides curiosity, to go in. So we will have to pass up this opportunity. Tonight must be spent on the move. June 5th My prayers have been answered! Apparently, we passed over a road during the night. Torin was keeping watch while we rested, and suddenly woke us, shouting "A wagon! A wagon!". And there it was! A wagon, pulled by horses, with at least one person riding on it. Torin and I immediately threw our weapons on the ground, and broke into a run towards it. The driver, a middle-aged man, seemed somewhat alarmed, but we showed him our empty hands and begged for assistance. He told us that he was Selimar, a merchant, traveling to Duma Faifni with his son, Altair, and his daughter, Espara. We are only two days north of Duma Faifni! The kind man could tell that we were travel-weary, and offered to allow us to ride on his wagon. In exchange, we would guard him on his journey. Of course, we happily accepted the offer and collapsed into his wagon. Thank you, Prometheus! We have been delivered. We rode until we reached the small town of Longmire. The journey was uneventful, although Selimar did tell us that the cat-creature is called a "caterwaul". Tonight, we rest comfortably in the Inn of the White Knight. After putting the pony in a stable, and making sure that everything was fine, I went immediately to bed. This has been the most exhausting ordeal of my entire life! It is only early afternoon, but I will sleep soundly. Unfortunately, I was not to get as much rest as I desired. In the evening, I was awakened by the sound of a man shouting "Stop thief! Help! My gold!" and so on. Groggily, I grabbed my flail and went to the door. A crowd had gathered around a large Cimbrian, who was on the verge of hysteria. I called to Finis for help, and tried to determine what was happening. After making certain that no one left the hallway onto which all the rooms opened (and making sure that Torin guarded our room, with our possessions), we pieced together what happened. The man was sleeping, when he heard a noise, woke up, heard the door open, and jumped out of bed. His chest (holding 500 gold coins) was missing, so he ran into the hallway crying for help. A large, dark-skinned man (obviously not a Cimbrian) informed me that the lock was destroyed with acid. When we looked in the room, the chest was, to our surprise, sitting right there on the floor. It was, of course, empty. However, Finis found a piece of fleece nearby, which did not belong to the victim. After searching the entire area, both with people and by magic, we found nothing, except that all the rooms were in every way identical. Then the tall dark-skinned man (who said his name was Suleiman) pointed out that the victim's room had an extra chair! I suspected that some kind of illusionary magic was at work, but none of us could find the flaw in the illusion. We assured the innkeeper that he would be compensated, then destroyed both chairs in the fireplace (surely, if one was the thief, he wouldn't let us throw him in a fire). Nothing unusual happened to the chairs, but a cry from down the hall told us that something had happened in the room. We rushed down to the victim's room, and found two large bags of gold sitting on the floor. One obviously had a handful of gold missing from it. Finis, who had been guarding the room, lay on the floor, knocked unconscious. It was then that we heard Torin saying "Hey, where are you going?", and a fight broke out. Leaving the room, we saw Torin standing over a man, cowering on the ground. Gold coins were scattered on the ground around him. The crowd of onlookers pummeled him into complete submission. We searched him, and found thief's tools in the heel of his boot, as well as spell components, and a piece of fleece. The innkeeper notified the local law enforcement, and the large man, happy to have his gold back, rewarded us for our trouble. The thief was finally dragged away, whining and complaining. But just for the briefest of moments, he stopped, and winked at me--as if he were the loser of a game, tipping his hat respectfully to the victor. I shook my head, taking it upon myself to be ashamed of his behavior, as he obviously felt no shame. Now, I will go to bed. And I pray that no one else gives me cause to wake early--my patience is wearing thin.</blockquote>

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