RC Tyrot: Into the blighted wood

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After failing to track the mad Druid, the party was shortly ambushed by a werewolf and her two companion wolves. Tanari's magic missiles and Melvin's new silver dagger took down the werewolf, and she was unable to transmit its lycanthropy to any of the party members. However, the two wolves proved more challenging when Cugaer was tripped by the wolves, which also succeeded in hurting him and Melvin. Eventually, however, the wolves were dispatched, with Ratchett getting a sneak attack in.

Cugaer stabilized the werewolf, revived her with a cure light wounds spell. The party then questioned her about the blighted wood under a zone of truth. The werewolf, however, was rather defiant, and only explained that the rest of her pack would succeed in killing the nymph, which was causing the unnatural corruption of the forest.

Several minutes into questioning, a group of five men, charmed persons of the nymph, had overheard the battle, and came to investigate. A battle ensued, and the werewolf, let free, attacked the leader of the group, deciding to go for the easier kill. However, the leader of the group managed to slay the werewolf, despite Yrinnyn's efforts. The rest of the men were easily taken down.

Cugaer found a smattering of silver pieces (188 sp in all).

Everyone receives 500 XP

[EDIT: Okay, Rotku]

[ January 12, 2004, 03:47: Message edited by: Oaz ]

 

OOC: Umm, we left the MW items behind. Well, unless someone else took them, because Cugaer certainly didn't.

 

Having tied them up two and three with the two ropes, Tanari looked around at the others.
"Well that was certainly.. unfortunate."

he lets out a small sigh, then turns to Cugaer
"So what did you find Cugaer? Anything useful?"

 

Cugaer shrugs. "Just what you'd expect to find on farmers. I couple of silver coins. Oh, and there was some good quality armour and weapons back there as well."

Cugare pulls out a small bag, and hands 20 sp to everyone. "That's about it, unless you want to carry around their armor or bodies?"

He then looks down at the tied up prisoners with a calculating look upon his face. "Any idea what to do with them?" he asks.

 

Tanari walks around the field of battle and gathers the spread-around weapons in a pile. Standing before them, he crouches and starts searching through the weapons looking for any elegant blades. Seeming quite in his own mind, the party can hear him muttering to himself in elven.

"Maybe I could find a cold iron one.. hmm, this one.. nah. Hmm, this is sure nice.." he lightly trails his thumb across the edge of one of the blades, careful not to cause a big wound, "Nice and sharp."
Strapping the blade to his side, he searches for other weapons of interest.

As Cugaer asks about the prisoners, Tanari turns around to face him, then casts a brief look at the prisoners before rising.
"We'll have to question them about where we can find this Nymph. Either wait till they wake, unless we can tend their worst wounds and bring them back to consciousness."

OoC: They still have their armors on, dont they?

 

The men, except for the leader, are all carrying clubs and daggers (one of each per person), and also have a small wooden shield and studded leather. The leader carries a masterwork short sword and wears masterwork studded leather armor.

 

Cugaer shakes his head, as Tanari finishes speaking. "I'm running low on healing, although, given time I guess I'll be able to bring them back to conscious. Although I might need some things first."
He then slowly looks around the ground, in search of a place to tie the prisoners up, just in case they regained consciousness.
Suddenly he looked up, and spun around to face Dharmina.
"I forgot, you can heal as well. Is there anything you can do to bring these men back to consciousness, so we can question them?"

 

Dharmina: "Sure; what spells do you want me do use on them?"

 

Ratchett looks around warily. "Ah, would anyone happen to know how far it is to the edge of this 'corruption'? We might get better answers if we moved, and we'd likely be safer too."

 

"Dharmina, a cure spell of some sorts that would hasten their consciousness would be wonderful."
Tanari straightens and narrows his eyes, looking toward the way from which they came.

"I guess we could move back, but we'd have to drag them all, or make them all conscious so they could walk themselves.. or we could just stay here. Together I think we'll be safe from most things, and this wont be long if we can get them awake answering a few questions. But if you insist, Ratchett. Surely we can move for my sake."

 

Dharmina: "I'm going to cure only the leader (the one who managed killing the werewolf) with a cure light wounds. I hope that you have tied him up well enough for him not to escape, though."

Ratchett's subdual damage from his sap is considerable, however, and it takes a few healing spells for the leader to be revived.

 

Tanari walks over to the leader and sits down, pointing the man's own weapon against him. Waiting a few moments for the villain to recover, Tanari coughs a little and glares at him.

"You've been defeated in combat, you're under our swords, and you'll do as we say. Whom is this mistress you serve?"

 

Yrinnyn eyes them up suspiciously, seeking for potential signs of belonging to a wicked sect. He turns his attention to the charming little chatter breaking out and prepares to look for blind spots (sense motive checks).

 

"Our mistress is a glorious being of indescribable beauty and radiance, and these woods reflect her magnificent power. Kill me if you wish - I defend her to the death," responds the captive, staring Tanari in the eye.

As far as anyone can tell, the man is not bluffing; he is clearly a fanatic, and in light of what the werewolf had stated, most likely charmed.

 

"No need to throw away your life, not much defense in dying while tied up. But you say she's responsible for these woods then.."
Tanari takes a moment to look around at the horrid corruption.

"I was wondering who I could talk to about the management of it. It seems that you have a bad case of werewolves too.. does your mistress reward hunters of those wolves, maybe we could be enlisted? Your mistress might be pleased and reward.. the one who brought a solid solution to this wolf-problem before her."
He winks at the prisoner, and rises leaving the man to ponder upon it. Usually some desires would overrule others if one had actually seen a Nymph.

Tanari looks observant and absent-minded at his friends in turn, pondering in thought.
I just hope we wont end the same...

 

Prisoner: "We will make no bargains with you who work against her glory."

 

After the leader of the prisoners wakes up, Cugaer leave Tanari to do the talking and sits back, leaning against one of the rotting trees.
Taking a drink out of his drinking flask, and eating a bit of food, Cugaer looks at the prisoner, amazed at the charm put on him, and how someone can belive something so strongly, just from a bit of magic.
"Tanari," Cugaer says after the prisoner has replied. "Is it possible to put our own charm on them? Or atleast to overwrite the Nymphs one, somehow?"

 

Ratchett glances towards the captive and mutters "If that doesn't work, what are the chances her influence doesn't extend beyond the borders? If we could free them from it simply by moving them, then not only would we get better answers, but we could resolve our moral dilemma over what to do with them."

 

Tanari shrugs and looks at the two, a small gesture of surrender.
"I don't know, breaking a nymph charm isn't the easiest thing to do.. not that I have any spells at the ready to do so anyway."

 

The party continued to question the captive leader, and Melvin was able to convince the man to point the way to the Unseelie Nymph. Defenseless and swayed by the halfling's words, the leader skulked away into the forest, leaving the party to find the Nymph, presumably responsible the woods' "corruption."

After some while, the party discovered a clearing in the woods, about a hundred feet in radius. The clearing was either natural or an old, man-made one. There, the party encountered the Unseelie Nymph and her fighter servant. The fighter dealt Ratchett a serious blow with his greatsword, but the party quickly dispatched him. The Unseelie Nymph apparently underestimated the party's skill, as Tanari fought off the Nymph's charm effect. The Unseelie Nymph was slain, and the party found, after some searching a pile of gold coins (325 in total), a golden yellow topaz (estimated 450 gp), a moonstone (estiamted 145 gp), and a moss agate (estimated 20 gp). Cugaer took the gold, while Melvin took the gems, appraising them.

The party left the Unseelie Nymph and her champion in the blighted wood, where it was likely that the werewolves made a meal out of the two. The party struck camp afterwards, assured that they would reach the next town, Kegle, a couple of days.

The afternoon afterwards, the party was assaulted by a pair of ogres. While Cugaer, Yrinnyn, and Ratchett were left relatively unharmed, one of the ogres killed Tanari with a confirmed critical on his charge. Ratchett, displaying his skill at dodging giantkind, took down the one of the ogres, while Melvin, injured but later healed, slew the other ogre.

Cugaer went to scout ahead to see if there might be anyone in the town to the north who could do something about Tanari's death.

Everyone receives 500 XP for defeating the Unseelie Nymph. Everyone (except Tanari) receives 200 XP for defeating the two ogres.

[ January 24, 2004, 02:40: Message edited by: Oaz ]