After the death of Jaheira, the Troupe returns to the Friendly Arm Inn so that they can resurrect her. After taking some time to rest and re-equip, they now prepare themselves for a second expedition to the Cloakwood.
9 Eleasias 1368
Despite the low quality of our room, we are well rested when we wake. It is close to midnight, but we need the time to prepare. We go down to the bar to see if Thorengrim has anything to sell us.
Aegon: Well Thorengrim can you forge anything that we have? Maybe make it more stronger?
Thorengrim Hammerfist: Well then Aegon lets see what ye have. I kin only forge certain items ye know.
Aegon: How about the Spider’s Bane Sword? Any way this can be improved?
Thorengrim Hammerfist: The Spider’s Bane Sword? This sword and a dead spider’s body I kin make it so the sword does poison damage. Ha ha dish the poison back at the spiders, poetic justice no? Any how I be needin 500 gold pieces fer this work. How about it?
Aegon: Anything you can do with this scimitar?
Thorengrim Hammerfist: This enchanted scimitar combined with the Boots of Speed I kin make it so ye be under the spell Haste while ye ‘ave this sword on ya. All I need besides this is 5000 gold pieces. How about it?
Aegon: How about this wyvern head? Can you do anything with this?
Thorengrim Hammerfist: Ahh ye have a wyvern head. With 6000 gold pieces and this head I kin make a very powerful helm from it. How about it?
Aegon: No, not right now.
I’ve edited this dialogue a little for brevity. You actually have to talk to him multiple times to get all the dialogue, which leads to a lot of repeated lines. That’s fine in-game, but less interesting to read in a Let’s Play.
While I discuss equipment with Thorengrim, Coran piques his curiosity about White’s tendencies.
White: I do. Does it bother you? If it does, then it’s your problem.
Coran: Hehe, it’s not that. There’s no need to get furious so quickly. I was just curious.
White: Why would you be so curious about something that has nothing to do with you, thief?
Coran: Ah, it has nothing to do with me? I thought that was the reason why you’re shooting me these glances. You’re not ogling me, are you?
White: Sorry to disappoint you, but no. You’re not my type. Also your… admiration of women and their… charms is obvious enough.
Coran: Oh, so am I to understand that is disappointing to you, hmm?
White: I’m not disappointed at all.
Coran: Ha! You just broke my heart.
I can’t tell if Coran is actually considering my advice or just playing along, but before the conversation spirals, I refocus on the task at hand: re-equipping ourselves for Cloakwood.
White is our strongest warrior now, and he’s likely to be holding enemies back as we prepare spells and arrow. So I suggest that we spend our gold on a Wyvern Helm for him. In exchange for what gold we have left and a selection of gemstones, Thorengrim agrees to make the helm for us.
It fits him well, and his arms seem even larger while wearing it. Satisfied that he is well equipped, we take our leave of the Friendly Arm in. We make sure to say our goodbyes to Khalid and Jaheira before we go back on the road.
10 Eleasias 1368
We barely make it to the edge of the Cloakwood when we are waylaid by a small group of ettercaps. They have us surrounded, though there are no spiders or webs in sight.
Helga, White, and I draw our melee weapons and hold them back as much as we can. Coran and Eldoth support us with their bows.
The ettercaps rip into us with their claws. A sickening crack echoes as an ettercap’s claw cleaves through Helga’s helmet, sending shards of metal flying.
Helga is the first to slay one of the ettercaps, but she is heavily wounded and uses a Potion of Healing.
She beats the other ettercap back, but without her helmet it manages to bite her. A violent shudder runs through her as the ettercap’s venom takes hold, her grip on her hammer faltering for a moment.
White is poisoned himself, but he uses his strength to Slow the Poison in Helga’s veins while she delivers a killing blow to the ettercap.
Now she is free she returns the favour so White can return to the fight.
The other two ettercaps fall to hammer blows. We quickly check our surroundings and it feels like we are in the clear.
We take to the opportunity to rest and heal our wounds before we continue our way to the Shadow Druid Grove.
We happen to find another helmet in the Bag of Holding, so Helga takes it to replace her broken one.
11 Eleasias 1368
It takes us over a day to reach the Grove again. We recognise this part of the river, the bridge is to the north of here. We follow it upstream and find a man in bright, colourful robes being attacked by a bear.
The bear charges and we strike it with our arrows. On realising we are attacking the beast, it turns to us and rushes into Coran. It’s huge claws rip into his armour.
He draws his Mind-Swift-As-Weasels, but is continuously beaten back by the bear. Bleeding and struggling to hold on to life, he is saved when White shoots it through the back of the head.
I heal Coran, and we turn to talk to the man in the colourful robes.
Before we can talk however, he points into the woods, and we see that there is another bear running our way. Why are the bears here being so aggressive? Have the Shadow Druids enchanted them?
I draw Bashrik’s Hammer and rush to hold it back. It bites into my arm and slashes open my stomach. I’m barely alive, but White manages to throw me his Potion of Extra Healing.
As the potion takes effect and my wounds start to close up again, it’s Coran’s turn to save someone from a bear.
The man in the colourful robes disappeared while we were fighting the bear. He is nowhere to be seen, and we are too tired to look for him after the fight. Is this vanishing act some druidic trickery, or is Cloakwood truly turning against us?
We won’t find answers soon, so we decide it best we set up camp for the night.
Before we sleep we talk about our marching order. As I am the leader and the most well protected, I say I will take point from now on. I ask White for the Wyvern’s Head Helm so I can be better protected.
I give my Helm of Defense to Coran who, in turn, gives his helmet to White.
White is disappointed he won’t be the first in a fight, but I remind him that he can use his rage any time if we really need his strength.
We finish setting up camp, and take some rest.
12 Eleasias 1368
We wake in the early hours of the morning. The sun still hides from us as we pack up our camp. We cross the bridge to the Shadow Druid’s territory and find ourselves fighting another bear.
It wounds me, but we kill it before it can finish me off. I heal myself before we continue down the river.
Only to find another bear as aggressive as the others. What has made them so violent lately?
I manage to hold it off while White shows it what his arrows are made of. Our new marching order seems to be working well, though I’m unable to deflect as many blows as Khalid can.
After killing this second bear we spot some large stones through the trees. Moving closer we see they are placed vertically, in a circular pattern. It must be a henge, meaning more Shadow Druids are close.
As if to confirm this a woman steps forward from the circle, clad in leather armor adorned with symbols of the wild. Her stance is rigid, her grip on her club tight as she appraises us with suspicion.
She must mean the Iron Throne and their mine. Perhaps if she knows we hunt them too, she may be willing to help. I step up to the circle and call out to her.
Aegon: As you wish.
I try to get to know her a bit more before we join her, and I make the mistake of mentioning the aggressive bears here lately.
Something tells me she won’t believe us if we tell her that we were walking carefully. I have another idea, however.
Aegon: Why don’t you keep watch, Faldorn? Then you can warn us in time, and we’d avoid slaying innocent beasts.
Faldorn: Well spoken, Aegon.
She nods.
Faldorn: So be it.
With that she agrees to let us join her on the hunt for the Iron Throne.
She is a Shadow Druid Avenger, defender of the forest. Unusually for a druid she can conjure Chromatic Orbs, create Webs, and strike with Lightning Bolts.
She also has the ability to summon a wolf back from death to fight alongside her.
As a druid she has similar abilities to Jaheira, but she has a few secrets known only to Shadow Druids of her rank. For instance, she also has the ability to call upon living wolves.
She can also call upon Nature’s lightning.
She can charm people and animals.
Or she can paralyse them and hold them in place.
She can create a lance out of ice that can freeze someone enough to burn them.
She can enhance the fangs and claws of any animals or beasts nearby.
She can infest a persons flesh with rotting brown mould.
And she can Regenerate the Wounds of someone who is seriously injured.
She can cause an area of earth to sprout with thorny vines that will cut and hinder those who try to move through it.
She can protect herself from all but the strongest of storms.
Or even conjure a small storm to protect herself.
She can summon a swarm of insects that will distract an opponent.
Or, for something different, she can use weasels to distract them.
She wields nature’s fury with terrifying ease; calling lightning from the sky, ensnaring foes in thorns, even rotting flesh with a mere incantation. Stronger than Jaheira, perhaps, but would she stand by us if the forest was not at stake?
Still, her leather armour and simple wooden club won’t be enough to take on the Iron Throne. We search the Bag of Holding for anything that could prepare her for what is to come.
First we give her an amulet that can protect her from the corrosive effects of acid.
We give her better armour next. It’s still leather, but holds some protective enchantments.
We give her boots that will allow her to move freely and with stealth.
And bracers to grant her speed in combat.
We give her an enchanted club, once wielded by Jaheira.
Finally we give her a throwing dagger that will return to her hand after each throw.
She thanks us for the new equipment, and I tell her it’s fine if it helps take down the Iron Throne. Eldoth says she needs one more thing before we continue. He takes off his helmet and hands it to her, telling her she will need it more than he. His smile as he hands it over makes me wonder if he’s actually flirting with her.
We leave the circle with her, only to find another bear desperate for our blood.
We have no choice but to defend ourselves once again. The bear is felled easily even though it got the jump on us.
“Thanks for the warning, Faldorn,” I say as I wipe blood from my arm. She simply shrugs.
Perhaps now Faldorn sees that the bears aren’t being taunted by us. If she truly sees, she doesn’t let it show. An alliance with the Shadow Druids is already walking on thin ice. And if we slaughter every animal we meet they may turn against us.
