As they seek out the Iron Throne’s hidden mine in the Cloakwood, the Troupe joins Coran in his love for hunting wyverns. They also make an unlikely ally within the Shadow Druid order, as they want to shut down the mine that has scarred their sacred ground. Now deep within the Cloakwood, the Troupe is getting ever closer to the mine…
12 Eleasias 1368
This part of the Cloakwood is swarming with wyverns. We are ambushed by a pair who have marked us for lunch.
Coran is excited for the fight, but we are in need of rest and I start having visions of our deaths again. I call out to everyone to run from the beasts.
The wyverns give pursuit, but we are able to escape into dense foliage before they can dig their claws into us. We keep running through the trees until we can no longer breathe. We keep a lookout while we catch our breath. No wyverns in site. It seems like we are safe for now.
On our way toward the mine, we see a wyvern flying overhead, gripping a live cow in its claws. At least it has something to eat that isn’t us.
As night falls we come across another river.
We follow it south, hoping to find a way across. We hear the familiar sounds of a giant spider and spot it before it can ambush us. I grip my hands around a Potion of Freedom, contemplating whether or not I should use it.
I choose not to and end up getting caught in its web. Fortunately Faldorn and Coran are able to kill the beast before it can sink its mandibles in.
I shake off the webs while the others wait. When I’m clean enough we move on. We soon run into another rabid bear. It stands on its hind legs and roars before dropping back down and charging toward us.
I hit it with a barrage of Magic Missiles, but it ignores its charred flesh and rushes right at me.
As the bear starts to maul me Eldoth asks the Weave to grant me some Aid.
The bear’s claws dig into my sides and I fall back with the huge animal atop me. It opens its jaw preparing to bite my face off. Before it can, I bring Bashrik’s Hammer up and crush its throat.
White helps to roll the beast off me before Helga heals my wounds. Something is definitely upsetting the bears in these woods. Faldorn’s already told us that they’re not normally this aggressive.
Before we can even talk about the bear, we find ourselves surrounded by a small pack of dire wolves. As they howl, vines reach out from the ground and start to wrap around our legs.
It looks like I forgot to take some screenshots here, so I don’t have an image showing the hamadryad that attacked the Troupe.
I spot the magic user, another dryad, though we haven’t seen any oaks nearby. This one seems angry, shouting orders at the wolves in a tongue we cannot understand. I call out to the others and White takes aim with his bow. Before she can start casting another spell, she is felled by White’s arrow.
Though hindered by magical vines, the wolves seem to have lost any fight in them with their master slain. One attacks me, while the others go for Helga and Coran. They are no match for our hammers and blade.
Before we can take a breather we hear another sound from some nearby trees. A roar. Another bear. I launch another salvo of Magic Missiles as soon as I lay eyes on it.
It barges right past me and hurls itself toward White. The barbarian manages to keep pace with it while running backwards, and still manages to launch an arrow through the animal’s eye.
Finally we can take a small break, but we remain standing in case any more hostile animals are nearby. I wonder aloud if it was the dryad that could have caused these animals to behave so violently. Faldorn says that it was actually a hamadryad. Normally they aren’t so violent, but the Iron Throne’s mine may be upsetting the followers of Nature in the woods.
I feel bad that we had to kill it, and I’m sure Faldorn feels angry about it. Still, she seems to understand why we had to fight. Either that or she’s just holding her tongue.
After a short rest we continue until we see a bridge across the river. Before we can cross, however, we find our way blocked by a man holding a bow and carrying two blades. This deep in the forest these are a sure sign he is a ranger.
Unusually for a ranger, he is flanked by two baby wyverns. We are wary as he approaches. Coran keeps his hand on his Mind-Swift-As-Weasel, and his eyes on the wyverns. Ranger or not, he could still be working with the Iron Throne. We already know they are trying to train such beasts, just as he seems to be.
Kieran: Greetings play things, I am the might ranger Kieran Nightsong. You are trespassing in my woods and I demand a toll before you can cross this bridge. I think 300 gold pieces will do.
Aegon: What’s with you rangers and baby Wyverns? Some kind of perversion involved I would think.
Kieran: Perversion? No foolish traveller, we train these fine animals to protect Nature from Her enemies. Yes… yes indeed the enemies of Nature must also be destroyed. Far too many bandits, orcs and other beings of evil have violated Nature. Now how about that toll fee? What did I say it was… ahh yes 200 gold.
I notice Faldorn smiling. His views do seem to align with the Shadow Druids, even if he is training wyverns. Still, I do not wish to pay the ranger’s toll.
Aegon: That is too much for us. We barely have enough to buy provisions.
Kieran: Well since I rarely get visitors out here and you have been good listeners, I’ll let you pass this time.
Aegon: Thanks, Kieran! I will not forget this!
Kieran: Nature thanks you. You may have use of this bridge. May the Great Mother watch over you.
We stop for some time to tell him of our quest and ask if he has anything to help us take out the Iron Throne. He tells us he has some arrows for sale.
We politely decline as we don’t have need of any arrows right now and make our way to the bridge. Unfortunately this bridge has decided to throw as many obstacles as it can our way.
Atop the bridge are several men wearing the garb of Black Talons, and a woman who is likely a mage. She seems to be the leader, as she calls out to us as soon as she sees us.
Daenni: Your screams shall be music to my ears. Hold it right there while I take a better look at you. Mhmm, yep you fit the bill all right; time to die. Hold still will you? These spells can be a bit finicky at times?
Aegon: Hold still?!? I’ll hit you so hard that you will never move again, you brain-dead wannabe spellcaster!
Daenni: You lot are always the brain-dead ones! Do you even know how long it took to memorise all of these spells you nincompoop? Why do I waste my time with such lower beings!?!
How long it took to…? Does she think herself the only spellcaster in Toril? I get my answer when multiple images of her appear on the bridge and she is surrounded by the glow of many magical protections. Faldorn summons a few green slimes from the river to distract the bandit archers.
I prepare to Dispel the mage’s protections. The mage raises a small light blue wand, and small white crystals fan out toward Coran. When they strike, parts of him freeze to the bone. In pain and with stiff movements, he slowly pulls out a Potion of Healing before the Blacktalons can finish him off.
My spell hits and the mage is suddenly left defenseless.
With no defenses, the others target her while I summon Horrors from the Weave. She is stuck with arrows and bullets, and it is hard to tell which one killed her. A Blacktalon kills one of Faldorn’s slimes, while the others sink arrows into Helga.
Then my next spell hits and they become afraid…
One Blacktalon is bolder than the rest and holds his ground. It is for naught as we kill him quickly.
Another Blacktalon panics, trapped between ourselves and the green slimes. Coran puts him out of his misery.
The others have fled across the bridge. We are safe for now. We take a moment before carefully crossing over the bridge.
Blacktalons guarding the bridge. We must be getting close. At least we now know we are moving in the right direction.
I am the first across the bridge and I scalp the mage’s corpse as I cross. She was carrying some darts and an enchanted dagger. The wand she has was, of course, a Wand of Frost.
Before we can scalp the Blacktalons, the others return to the bridge. My spell must have worn off.
They are well equipped, but our aim is better. Despite their cover in the trees, we are able to kill them before they can draw a bowstring.
They are well equipped, with heavy armour, enchanted arrows, and Arrows of Ice. We distribute the arrows between Coran, White, and Eldoth. We’ll use their own weapons against them.
Across the bridge we find another Blacktalon patrolling the forest.
This one is not an archer. Even though he gets close to me, Helga and Faldorn pummel him with bullets and he drops to the ground with a broken skull.
These woods are crawling with Blacktalons. Thankfully many seem to be wandering on their own. They probably weren’t expecting company any time soon.
We keep searching the area, killing more of the Throne’s minions as we come across them.
We think we are doing well, when out of nowhere a wyvern swoops down and thrusts its tail straight into my chest. I pull out a Potion of Extra Healing from my belt while White rushes over to counteract its poison. There’s no vision this time, but I still fear I could die here.
The potion closes the wound and White prevents the poison from coursing through my veins. I swing Bashrik’s Hammer toward the beast.
Which manages to impale me on its barbed tail once again. Corellon don’t let me die now…
Helga manages to stop the poison, but I am still badly hurt. With blood soaking into my tunic I try to hold off the wyvern lunging at me with teeth and barbs. Then a bullet lodges in its throat. An arrow right in it’s chest. Another through its eye. It drops down dead as I fall down bleeding.
I’m barely alive, but I still have some blessings left. I pull myself to my feet and start to heal myself while Coran cuts off the wyvern’s head as a trophy. He seems happy to have another kill under his belt, seemingly ignoring the fact that I almost died. I’m forced to wonder if he’d gladly sacrifice any of us if it meant getting another trophy.
I wonder if the Blacktalons are hunting the wyverns as well. They would prove a threat if the mine is close to here.
Still beaten and bloody, we start to move again. But we have few spells memorised now, and are in need of rest. We decide to head back to the river to set up camp. It’s more exposed, but with flowing water to one side of us we only need to keep watch in the other direction.
I don’t dream this night, but I am filled with thoughts of father’s murderer. We are getting ever close to the armoured figure. Will he be at the mine? Or is this just another part of his conspiracy?
And why did he want me? Gorion’s ward? What do I have to do with any of this?
I close my eyes and the sun rises as we rest. It’s a new day, and I have a feeling we will find the mine at long last.
