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Will is now down only three points instead of four. |
They walked northwest all night until they could walk no more, then they made camp on a hill and slept until late in the afternoon. They awoke groggily, their tent warmed from the afternoon sun.
Gralen looked back southeast. The sun shone through the trees in beams of dust-filled, golden light.
“It’s hard to reconcile this beauty with what we’ve left behind,” he said.
“All I want to do is put more distance between us and that castle,” said Will. “We can admire nature’s beauty later. We’ve a week before we’re north of the road.”
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Will is now down by only two points. |
They continued their trek northwest, following the foothills the rest of that day and the following day. As the shadows grew long towards evening, Charlotte matter-of-factly interjected into their conversation, “there’s something in the woods. I’m not sure how many, but there are at least a few. I’m pretty sure they’ve heard us as well.”
“Load your crossbow,” said Will to Sam, as he readied his own, “and make sure your sword is also ready. All of you, follow my lead.”
“We’re going to fight them again?” asked Sam.
“We’re going to run away,” said Will, “but if they attack us, we’ll be ready. Let’s keep away from areas where an ambush can occur. And if we can lose them, we will.”
“Move quickly but surely,” added Charlotte. “And don’t look nervous.”
Gralen put his hand in his pouch and retrieved his tiny arrows.
Five goblins, like the living ones they’d seen before, stepped out of the forest to their right.
“Crap,” said Will. He raised and fired his crossbow. Sam did the same, and Gralen muttered his ancient words.
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Dropping crossbows is not good for them, but it is faster than hanging them back on your pack. |
Will’s quarrel found its mark, and the goblin fell to the ground. Sam’s missed, but the magical bolt from Gralen’s tiny arrow felled another goblin. Will and Sam both dropped their crossbows and readied their swords, but the goblins turned face and ran, dragging their fallen friends with them. Sam readied to chase them down, but Will put his hand on her shoulder.
“We go the other way,” he said. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
They retrieved their weapons and continued on, even as it grew dark. Gralen whispered to the raven and it flew high into the air and back the other direction. It returned a few hours later.
“The night trolls kept going, too,” said Gralen. “They didn’t follow us.”
“Good,” said Will, “then let’s camp here.”
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Two more nights puts Will back at maximum survival points. |
Through the next two days they walked through the forested foothills of the High Divide, until late afternoon of the latter day they heard galloping coming towards them through the vague path in the trees that they followed.
“Hide,” said Will, and they did their best to hide behind trees. Will and Sam also drew their crossbows.
Two horses came into view rushing towards them. One was a burnished red in color, the other glossy black with a white patch on its forehead.
“Riderless horses,” said Will.
“Wild horses?” asked Sam.
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Will made his Equestrianism roll. (And Will’s player and the Guide are both fans of the musical “Hair.”) |
“No,” said Will, and he lay his sword and pack to the ground quickly. When the first horse rushed past, he jumped onto the mount and grabbed its reins. He both calmed it and sped it on to herd the second horse to a stop. Then he led the one and rode the other back to the group. They were strong, well tended animals.
“They’re friendly enough,” he said. “They were just scared.”
He patted the animal on the neck, and reluctantly dismounted.
“Too many people here can talk to animals,” said Sam.
“Oh, I can’t talk to them,” said Will. “It’s just pretty obvious that they were running from something.”
“Running from what?” asked Charlotte.
Will gazed ahead into the forest.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Gralen sent his raven up into the air with a whistle. It returned a few minutes later.
“There are vultures gathering a long, long ways up,” said Gralen.
“Everybody keep alert,” said Will. “I have no idea whether there might be some kind of night troll that uses horses, but I doubt that these horses were ever owned by such creatures. Man or monster, whoever is up there is likely to be skittish.”
They reached the vultures at the end of the day. Five dead goblins had just begun to be picked over by the birds.
Halfway through the next morning, coming over a rise, they spotted a cottage of logs and thatch nestled in the hills. A log fence enclosed a plot of land around the cottage. A tiny stream ran through the enclosed land.
“Who the hell would live down here?” asked Gralen.
“Ignore it?” asked Sam.
“This may be who owns these horses,” said Will. “We should find out and return them.”
They turned east towards the house.
“Look,” said Will, after they’d come close to the fence. He pointed downwards. “These prints are from these horses.”
The gateway to the fenced-off land was flanked by two barrels, each filled with black dirt and planted with brilliant red and orange flowers. Blue flowers, like the wild ones in the castle’s garden, grew around the cottage walls. They knocked at the gate and yelled a greeting, and hearing no answer opened the gate and led the horses onto the path inside and towards the cottage. The doorway on the cottage was a good eight feet tall, making even Gralen seem dwarfed standing next to it.
“Let’s tie them up and leave,” said Gralen. “Who would live out here?”
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This was a random encounter that the Guide fleshed into a full encounter. Depending on how the players handle it, it could lead to further adventures. The encounter chart for the deep forest did not give any detail except the fact of the encounter and the species of the encounter. Everything else is the Guide’s fault, made up on the spur of the moment. |
“Who would trespass out here?” they heard a gruff voice yell.
A tall, dark-haired man stepped with a heavy burden around the house. He stood over seven feet tall, wide-shouldered, and carried a small deer carcass. A large knife hung in his belt, and one hand held three spears.
“We meant no harm,” said Will. “We found these horses yesterday, and they appear to be yours, so we were returning them.”
“Oh,” the huge man replied, “but you can’t be too trusting out here.”
“They were running like the devil,” said Will. “May we ask what happened to scare them?”
“Yeah,” said Sam.
“We were attacked by a pack of giblens,” the stranger said, “and my friends here wisely ran at the danger, and unwisely kept running when the danger was gone.”
“Goblins? Those things are all over the place down here,” said Will. “We saw five of them dead yesterday afternoon. Was that you? How did you beat them?”
“You may have discovered that a strong stand can send them packing,” said the man, “at least as long as they don’t have an orc leader.”
As they talked, he threw some rope over a tree branch, and hung the deer up by its feet.
“Come inside,” he said. “You have traveled a great distance, and must be thirsty, hungry, and tired.”
“Uh,” said Will.
“Good god yes,” said Sam. “I’m Sam. These are William, Gralen, and Charlotte.”
He looked them up and down carefully, and then answered,
“Burwell Cooper. Step inside while I take care of Red and the Pirate.”
Burwell led the horses around the back of the house.
“I don’t like this,” said Charlotte.
“He offered us food and drink,” said Sam. “I’m inclined to accept. Don’t be rude, step inside. If we see a bunch of dead bodies hanging from hooks, we can run away.”
“I was inclined to stay also until you said that,” said Will. “The horses have been well-treated. Anyone who treats their horses well can be trusted, my father says, no matter what their other faults.”
He opened the door slightly and peeked inside.
“It’s four against one,” said Sam. “Why worry?”
“It was five against one against the goblins, I think,” said Will.
“Are there dead bodies hanging from hooks?” asked Sam.
“Yes,” he said, and stepped inside.
“Huh!” said Gralen.
Sam, Charlotte and Gralen carefully stepped into the cabin. There were no bodies hanging from the walls: there were deer heads. Antlered deer heads stood over every door. The other doorways were also sized for Burwell.
“We’re like dwarves in here,” said Sam.
They heard some rummaging in the back, metal against metal and wood, and liquid pouring.
“Who would build a house out here south of the road?” asked Charlotte.
“Someone strong enough to keep it,” said Sam.
“Welcome, friends,” said Burwell as he entered from the back. He fit comfortably and made the doorway look normal with his own size. He seemed much happier now, and he had a huge barrel over one shoulder, and in the other hand carried a platter of bread and cheese and a single huge tankard. The barrel sloshed as he walked.
“A snack until our meal is ready,” said Cooper. “And a drink to the safety of friends in tight places!”
He filled the tankard with the brown liquid from the barrel, took a long drink from the tankard, and passed it to Will. It smelled and looked like beer, and in fact it smelled like good beer, and that made him very thirsty, so he shrugged and drank, and handed the tankard to Sam. They passed the beer around, and Cooper tore off some bread and sliced off some cheese and ate it.
“That really hit the spot,” said Will. “We’ve been drinking nothing but water since we came out here.”
Sam dug into the bread and cheese, and when Cooper said nothing about it, the rest of them also did. It was much better than either the week-old bread or the dry cheese that they had brought with them.
“What brings you to the southern forest?” asked Cooper after another long drink of beer.
Will grabbed the tankard to wash down his food. It was empty, so while he was filling it Charlotte answered.
“Tracking down rumors of an old castle,” said Charlotte.
“Mmm,” he said.
“We found it, too,” said Sam, “but only after fighting night trolls and strange things in the fog.”
“You came through the mist?” said Cooper. “I hope that whatever you found was worth that.”
“I don’t think so,” said Will. “The creatures within the mist were unimaginable. It was like hell come above ground.”
“That’s a good description,” said Cooper. “The mist is a different world, a baser world. And it grows and falls with the moon. If you just passed through a week ago, you went through the mist at its strongest.”
Gralen looked up.
“So that’s what happened to Mistoles,” he said. “He went through on a full moon also.”
“We found a lot of dead bodies in the castle,” said Will. “Long dead. And a few coins. If you’d like one, you can have one,” and he tossed a gold coin to Cooper.
Cooper caught it out of the air, looked at it, and flipped it a few times.
“What is the image?” he asked.
Charlotte held out her hand, and he handed it to her.
“That’s the ram,” she said. “The constellation, Aries.”
She handed it back to him.
“Ah!” he replied. “I thank you, then.”
“What brings you to live down here?” asked Sam.
“Sometimes a man has to live on his own,” said Burwell.
“You can’t get more on your own than this,” said Will.
“Don’t you miss people occasionally?” asked Charlotte.
“I wouldn’t have invited you inside if I didn’t,” said Burwell. “But I do travel north to visit my remaining friends on occasion. I do say, those occasions are less and less as I grow older. A man can live quite well with no interruptions.”
“But isn’t it dangerous down here all on your own?”
“True, no man can live completely by their own wits, south or north,” Burwell replied, “and I have my companions here, although,” and here he raised his voice, “some of them cannot be trusted in a fight!”
Horses somewhere outside whinnied, and he laughed and stamped his feet and took another long drink. Sam took the next one out of turn.
“Too many people,” she muttered.
They began to smell the aroma of fresh bread from beyond the back door. They continued to pass the beer around, but left the cheese and bread alone.
“What are the night trolls?” asked Will. “And how come they can come out in the day down here?”
Burwell laughed.
“What a strange question,” he said. “Why couldn’t they come out in the day down here?”
“That’s why they’re night trolls, isn’t it?” asked Will. “Don’t they turn to stone in the day?”
“They certainly prefer the night if they can help it,” said Burwell, “and bright sunlight hurts them, but I don’t recall ever seeing one turn to stone. Perhaps there are different races further north that I’ve not heard of.”
“I’ve heard of a town called Stone Goblin that has such a goblin in its town square,” said Gralen, “though I’ve never seen it myself.”
Burwell scratched his bearded chin, and said, “Stone Goblin? I know that name.”
“It’s up the river from Black Stag,” said Gralen. “Have you been there?”
“No,” replied Burwell, “but I’ve a friend who, I’ve heard, has moved there since I last saw him. He shares your name, friend William.”
“We have some intention of going up that way,” said Gralen. “Or at least, one of us does.”
“Well, if you see Will of Stone Goblin, give him a greeting from Burwell Cooper,” said Burwell. “And tell him of your adventures, he’s a traveler from old himself.”
“Well, I don’t think we’ll be doing much traveling again, I’ll tell you that,” said Will. “Not like this, anyway.”
“That’s a smart choice,” said Burwell. “I recommend it. But if you are called, you can’t usually refuse.”
“Not without spending time in the belly of a whale?” asked Gralen. “Well, we weren’t called in any way, so it doesn’t matter. We simply discovered the possibility of lost knowledge, and lost treasure, and formed a quick company to exploit that possibility.”
“That’s right,” said Will, “when we’re done with this, we’re done.”
“Neither lost treasure nor especially lost knowledge come without their price,” said Burwell, “and you cannot always know when you are done until it is too late.”
“You sound like my father,” said Will.
“Your father must be a wise man,” said Burwell, laughing.
They talked further about events in Crosspoint over the years.
“So old Riley was finally brought to bay?” asked Burwell in response to Sam’s story.
“He’s been hanged, but the organization is still there,” said Sam, “and they’re pretty pissed off at everyone involved.”
“Some of whom are coming out west to avoid trouble,” said Burwell. “Well, let’s hold that thought--I think our meal is ready.”
He went back into the other room and returned with trays of warm bread and butter, roast venison, and roast potatoes, carrots, and onions.
Everyone dug into the food as they talked. Charlotte tried to be suspicious but couldn’t handle it. The food smelled too good, and everyone enjoyed it too much. Everyone ate until they were full to bursting, Burwell not the least of all.
“This is quite a feast,” said Charlotte, “we can’t possibly thank you enough.”
“I receive guests rarely enough,” said Burwell. “It is worth a little extra on the table--as long as it doesn’t happen too often.”
Early in the morning, Burwell woke them with a loud laugh and a deep “Rise up! Morning has come, and it is time for men to walk the forest again.”
The sun had not yet arisen, but its glow was barely visible coming over the peaks of the mountains. When they were prepared for travel, he handed them each a skin filled with beer. They happily accepted.
“Burwell Cooper,” said Will, “we thank you for your hospitality to strangers, and we are strangers no longer. If you find yourself north, my home is open to you.”
“And if you find yourself south again,” said Burwell, “bring more news from east and west, and we shall drink to it again, whatever it may be.”
“Do not forget me in Stone Goblin either,” he added.
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Like Burwell Cooper, the badgers were also a random encounter. The Guide actually rolled them on the previous day, and rolled a swamp for this, final, day. Deciding that a swamp wasn’t going to be interesting or make much sense that close to the road, the Guide switched the encounters so that the badgers could be their final encounter. Then, deciding that the swamp still didn’t make any sense (and was likely to confuse the players) it was thrown out. |
They shook hands, and left the strange man and his lonely cabin and resumed their journey northwest. They awoke two mornings later to the sound of someone going through their packs in the trees outside the tents. Will felt for his sword and peeked through the tent opening. Two badgers had climbed up the trees and back down the ropes holding their packs, and were picking through their food.
“Shit!” cried Will, and rushed out with his sword in hand. The badgers jumped and ran, one carrying a huge salted pork in its mouth. Gralen, Sam, and Charlotte grabbed their things as quickly as they could and followed after Will as best they could.
They chased the badgers a good few hundred yards out into a clearing among the trees before losing them.
“Damn it,” said Will, “that’s--“
He looked around to the east and west.
“We’re back!” he cried, just as the others arrived. “Gralen! Sam! Charlotte! This is the leather road, we’re back home! We made it!”