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Message: <blockquote data-quote="StalkingBlue" data-source="post: 1581510" data-attributes="member: 645">[Pallas's account, by Pallas's player: ]We slept at Noyor Nin. The next morning, Zana was gone. Katrin had talked to her. She said Zana “needed a break”. I didn’t know what that meant. A break from what? The woman nearly lost it last night, almost attacking Apari. She had screamed incoherently, first at the elven ghost, then at Apari. I had seen it before. She was going mad. She couldn’t stand the ghosts. I saw ghosts all the time, including Jez’s. So be it. It didn’t matter. Zana went. The journey back was uneventful. Katrin met a patrol with people she knew. She was going to stay the night with them and catch up with us. We made our way back to Dargham’s Folly. The place was even more crowded, dirtier. More desperate. We were ushered into Bernt’s quarters. He told us to report. Apari did the talking. He talked a lot but said very little. He didn’t tell Bernt anything except that Treetown was now empty of ghosts. That wasn’t true. Inuriel’s ghost was still there. Little the wiser, Bernt told us to report the next morning. We left. Dimgol the gnome trader grimaced. It was evening. Things were not good in Dargham’s Folly right now. The orcs were making major inroads into the Forest. There were rumours that the legendary Keep of the Cataracts was under attack. There was all sorts of other wild speculation of course but that’s all it was. He had learned long ago that there was rumour and there was speculation. The former could be turned to your advantage while you listened to the latter at your peril. The mood in the camp was getting worse and worse. Nayeen the elf seemed particularly affected. She was listless and depressed. There was speculation that she would leave Dargham’s Folly soon. Many people were kept alive by her Stone Soup so if she left, there would be panic. There was a massive flurry of action from Bernt’s headquarters. Dimgol could hear his bellows from here and messengers were running even faster than normal in and out of his office. All of this was very disruptive to trade. Some time later, Dimgol saw a figure approaching. As soon as he recognised it, he went inside and closed up. It was that very odd stranger. The one with the mask. Dimgol didn’t know him but the man gave him the creeps. He rarely spoke to anyone, spent most of his time outside the camp. The only people who were seen in his company regularly were the bunch who called themselves Jez’s Band. He had done a little business with them. The others were all right but this one….Dimgol wanted nothing to do with him. He watched him from inside. The tall hulking figure was carrying a sack. As usual it was impossible to make out his features. They were shadowed under his mask. He didn’t look anyone in the eye. The warrior stopped and deposited the sack outside Dimgol’s door. Then he turned around and started walking away. Dimgol watched him for a moment but then couldn’t contain his curiosity. He opened the door and looked inside the sack. There were several bags and two little bottles. The little crystal bottles contained perfume. The bags contained salt and spices. All very useful stuff. Certainly valuable trading commodities. Dimgol was puzzled. He didn’t understand. He looked up but the figure was gone. I could see that people were already starting to pack, getting ready for the move. Katrin had arrived that evening. We all arrived the next morning. Bernt was busy giving orders. He turned to us. “I want you to go and guard a bridge on the River Felthera. It is a netted bridge. With the new offensive, the enemy may attempt to seize it. We are expecting reinforcements at that outpost from the South, but in the meantime, I want you to go there and secure it. You should meet one of our patrols nearby. Led by Tom. He will give you more up to date information about the situation.” We left. I hid my horse. We traveled by foot. Through the forest. Apari finding a path that no one else could see. He led us around a massive boar. We didn’t see it but I didn’t doubt his word. He came back a little later to tell us he had seen a couple of creatures ahead. Tall purple humanoids with big claws. Enjoying themselves in the bushes. Keeran had heard of them. Spider Keepers. Poisonous, used webs, could have big spiders as pets. Potentially dangerous to everyone and anything nearby. Apari was adamant that we should stop a colony of these forming here. We crept up on them. They were still busy. We all got ready. Apari made us fast. Keeran, very quick, rushed forward. Suddenly he stopped. The whole area around them was filled with sticky web. He had almost rushed into it. Frustrated, he took out his bow. He was joined by everyone else. We started shooting at the creatures. Several arrows downed them. They joined the ghosts. As we prepared to leave, something started whimpering on a branch. I looked up and saw a big rat. A talking one. It jabbered at Apari who jabbered back. There was an elf in trouble nearby, Apari told us. The rat led us. It bonded with elves. We found a path. There was a figure on it. Cowled, covered in blood, crawling. Apari moved forward. We followed him. The figure suddenly turned around and tried to grab him. It missed. Then an orc rushed out at Keeran. It was a Fell. We killed it and the Fell elf. The rat wailed. Apari jabbered at it. It moved on to the body of the elf and started wailing. I wondered if the rat was a ghost. We left. Moving forward on the path, Apari signaled for us to stop. He moved forward and then came back to tell us he had spotted someone. Maybe a scout. We moved forward. We were hailed. By a woman. She climbed down and led us to Tom’s patrol. Her name was Ina. She was wounded. A group of orcs and goblins, led by an oruk had captured the bridge and they were cutting down the main tree. They had cleared the assassin vines at its foot. Assassin vines nearby had been goaded into a frenzy. It made moving on the ground perilous. They could make the plants and grass attack. Tom’s patrol had attempted to move through. They were repulsed. The assassin vines attacked everyone. They had killed two of his men. The orcs and goblins were on the Talons in the trees. The position was a triangle. The main tree was the point and furthest away from us. The oruk was there. Archers were positioned in the two base points. The triangle was connected with rope bridges except the base. A plan was made. There was no time to be lost. Tom and his patrol would create a diversion. Apari would make Katrin and I fly. I would carry Keeran. We would attack the oruk. Apari would stay behind with Tom. He was too drained to do much else. The plan was put into motion. Arrows were exchanged between Tom and the orcs and goblins. We flew. The tree was being cut down. We saw the oruk. Landed next to it. It had a massive axe. It tried to hit me but missed. We didn’t. It hit Katrin. Then it died. Goblins ran around shrieking. Throwing javelins. Some hit Keeran and Katrin. One scratched me. The orcs appeared from the trees above. I flew up to fight them. There were four. One fell off the Talon in front of Katrin. They died soon. Then we mopped up the goblins. Keeran had gone unconscious, skewered with goblin javelins. Katrin bound him. She was also bleeding. Then we carried Tom and the others to the Talon. I flew over to the other side of the river. The Talons there were empty. Scattered around were the dead. I flew back. We settled down to wait for reinforcements. Or enemy.</blockquote>

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