The Troupe regrouped at the Jovial Juggler after a failed expedition to Wood of Sharp Teeth. There they met the berserker Thorfinn and recruited him for their next outing. Now they make their way back to the Friendly Arm in order to recruit the brave Sir Garrick!
7 Eleint 1368
On the path to the Friendly Arm Inn we get ambushed by a pack of wild dogs. After a few of them are shot down by Kivan, the rest of the dogs realise their mistake and flee.
The rest of our journey is uneventful, and we easily reach the keep before nightfall. Since we are here we decide to check on the commissions we asked of Brokk. He seems to recognise Thorfinn as well. He must also be a regular customer.
Brokk: Ah, Thorfinn Hauskluniff. Yer spear be ready fer ya. Use it well, aye?
He gives us an ornate spear with unicorn’s horn on its tip. I offer it to Kivan, but he tells me he is more comfortable with his Dragon Spear. Well, into the Bag of Holding it goes. Perhaps someone else can make use of it in the future.
Brokk: Good timing, Thorfinn Hauskluniff, I be just done with yer new shield! Some fine work, if I do say so meself.
The shield is spectacular, with layered carapace that Brokk tells us will help deflect arrow. Thorfinn takes it so he can be better protected while he hurls his Axe from afar.
We bid Thorfinn farewell and make our way in to the inner keep. We find Garrick playing with an instrument at the bar. When he looks up he is excited to see us.
Garrick: You’re back! And just in time, too. I need material for a few more verses of my tribute to our friendship.
Aegon: It would be a pleasure to have your company again. A good bard is always a welcome companion.
We sit down for a drink and explain our quest to him. Garrick is enthusiastic to help.
Garrick: We are surely at the beginning of an epic tale. Lead on!
Before we leave, I offer Garrick some equipment from the Bag of Holding. He takes the Orc Shaman’s Cloak, hoping other orcs may mistake him for one of theirs.
He also takes some Bracers and a helmet for some extra protection.
He takes an enchanted Light Crossbow, as he prefers the speed of the smaller crossbows and he can use one with a shield.
He takes a heavily enchanted short sword in case an orc gets close to him.
To complement his weapons he takes a Medium Shield, which he can use to defend against orc archers.
We take a small break and continue to talk before we leave the inn. Despite Garrick’s usual enthusiasm, I notice there is fear hidden behind his eyes.
Garrick: Everywhere we go, we hear tales warning of imminent war… We live in, uh, interesting times. Troubled times, too.
Aegon: Something on your mind?
Garrick: Well, I like this adventuring and all, don’t get me wrong. But I am scared sometimes. There’s the thrill of living on the edge, but I never know if I’m going to wake up skewered by a hobgoblin’s arrow.
Aegon: I think it’s something you have to get used to. Sometimes, I have difficulty facing up to it myself. Still, we have to soldier on.
Garrick: Thanks, Aegon, I’m glad you understand. I guess we’ll, uh, just have to get through this together! Well, on to our next adventure, and with luck, not our last!
With that I finish my drink and stand up. It’s time to leave.
8 Eleint 1368
We reach the Wood of Sharp Teeth in the dead of night, after almost a full day. We are exhausted, so we set up camp before we get too deep into orc territory. Garrick pulls out his instrument and starts plucking at the strings.
Kivan: It seems that we are to be treated with another recital. Oh, the joy of having a bard with us!
Garrick: Might be that this song will touch even your grim heart, ranger.
Kivan: I find that highly unlikely. Your repertoire is all made of love verses and drinking songs.
Garrick: Not nearly, you stubborn-headed elf. Listen, all! For our brave fighter I shall sing something different from the usual:
Be you still, be you still, trembling heart; Remember the wisdom out of the old days: Him who trembles before the flame and the flood, And… ahem… the winds… the winds that blow…
Ahem, I think I cannot remember how it goes from here… It has been some time since I…
Kivan: Do not torture yourself so. It goes like this:
And the winds that blow through the starry ways, Let the starry winds and the flame and the flood Cover over and hide, for he has no part With the lonely, majestical multitude.
Thank you, Garrick, that was a worthy song.
Garrick: I can see that you appreciate the art of poetry more than you care to admit, my secretive friend.
Kivan: I beg you not to take me for a connoisseur, bard.
Garrick continues to play quiet songs for us until we fall asleep on our bedrolls. He will take first watch tonight.
9 Eleint 1368
We rise early in the morning and pack away our things. We talk tactics as we walk back into the Wood of Sharp Teeth. We will be ready for the orcs this time.
It isn’t long before we encounter our first band of orcs. They bang their axes on shield to show their strength, while the archers raise their bows. Kivan and Aura respond in kind. Thorfinn moves closer and readies his Throwing Axe. Garrick protects himself with his Armor of Faith.
Thorfin’s launches his axe through the raging barbarians charging at him and strikes an archer in the shoulder. Unfortunately his Ankheg Shield needed to be dropped for this and an arrow sticks in him as well.
I call up another Web, trapping most of the orcs again. Two of their warriors escape the strands and start swinging their axes at our berserker. Thorfinn draws Khazid’s Death and flies into a rage.
Jet’Laya finishes her spell and two skeletons claw their way out of the ground. Likewise, I finish my own spell and a Fireball rips through the web and the orcs are set on fire. One of their archers burns all the way to the Nine Hells.
The orcs are injured and slowed down, back to basics for now. I start launching Magic Missiles to break them down. Jet’Laya attempts to create a Glyph of Warding, but she gets too close. I try to call her back, but it’s too late. The orcs interrupt her spell with an axe to the skull. If it wasn’t for her helmet she might have died from the blow.
Jet’Laya attempts to retreat but is chased down by the orc that hit her.
Thorfinn, though full of arrows, cut and bleeding, thrusts Khazid’s Death through a skeleton’s ribcage and into the heart of the orc. Jet’Laya is safe once more. She pauses to take a breath.
Having composed herself once more, she sees that Thorfinn is in trouble. She rushes to him and his wounds close and arrows fall from his body.
His strength returned, Thorfinn roars and spins Khazid’s Death faster than I thought a sword that huge could move. One after the other he cleaves the orc warriors in twain, then his frenzied eyes turn to the archers held in my Web.
Held in the Web, the orcs are defenseless. The skeletons charge through it while we keep our distance. Their deaths are swift.
Thorfinn sits down, worn out by his berserker rage. While we collect ourselves Garrick comments that he is learning a lot by taking risks with us.
Gameplay Note
His Death and Breath Saving Throws improve by 1. His THAC0 is also reduced by 1. He gains one additional Level 1 Spell per day, as well as 5 Hit Points.
The orcs have several scrolls on them, so Garrick and I sift through them to see what we can use. We find Scrolls of Power Word Sleep, Monster Summoning II, Snilloc’s Snowball Swarm, and Summon Weasels. I already know these spells and Garrick isn’t confident he is ready to learn them, so I store them in my Scroll Case for now.
Garrick tries to copy from Scrolls of Obscuring Mist and Mage Armor. He fails to scribe them into his spell book properly. I’ll have to tutor him on how to do this better.
That fight went better than the last time we were here. We mustn’t get overconfident though. These orcs are still tough, but if we focus on quickly disabling them then we may stand a chance of getting through here and finding Jet’Laya’s sister.
I just hope she hasn’t become a victim to the orcs that plague these woods.
