A3.2 Meet the Wose
Wagon Ho: With the sailors staying to operate the lighthouse, the adventurers set off to find the king. Margo had nixed the idea of traveling up the Brandywine road towards Bree and the Shire, “Let’s just say I’m not welcomed home yet. Besides, King Ellasar should be in Grey Haven by now.” Kyan was lost in his own thoughts about the ancient great axe Ring Rist he’d found. As a boy, he’d heard stories about such fabled weapons forged in the great forge-fires of Nogrod under the Blue Mountains during the First Age. Why was this axe in the hands of evil men?! “I agree we should head towards Grey Haven but swing by the southern end of the Blue Mountains as I have something to check out.”
JOUNEY/EMBARKATION (Peril 3 for taking the wagon across
unmarked trails) [Rolled 9 – 3 peril = 6: Meager Supplies and Poor Meals; -1 to all
skill checks]
Kyan quickly got frustrated at the lack of
game to hunt, “All that wagon noise thumping and bumping across the land is
scaring the animals away!” Margo thought about sharing the last of her apples
with the horses but decided to test the apple first. Thus, only a core was left
for one horse. She climbed upon the bench beside Theo driving the wagon and
began to reminisce about the various pies her mom used to bake back home in the
Shire. So much detail even the Beorning began to grow hungry, “Perhaps you
should drive awhile, and I’ll help Kyan hunt.” But it didn’t matter, game was
scarce. And to make matters worse, Theo broke his bowstring [fumble].
Days later they finally decided to abandon
the wagon as they could walk faster. Thran fashioned saddlebags out of spare
pants as he and Margo rode the unhitched horses while Kyan and Theo walked.
[Peril reduced to 2 meant Embarkation 7: Feasts Fit for a King] Their luck changed with
successful hunts and campfires wafting of freshly cooked meals. Margo found
plenty of natural tubers and berries and wild weeds to add fiber and flavor to
the meals.
Raging River: With Theo’s ear to the land and Kyan’s use of the spyglass to compare mountain ridges, they continued west-northwest for days across a grass plain dotted with tree grooves. All heard the roar of a nearby river that obviously fueled a waterfall that provided the crashing sound. But Kyan was the first to make out what sounded like a woman’s cry for help.
They all dashed forward to the riverbank where Kyan confirmed a woman in
distress, caught in the river’s fast current! Thran noticed the woman wasn’t
alone; she clutched a child in her arms! Atop their horses, Thran and Margo saw
it best: the river was about 50ft wide, the woman and child about 105ft upriver
from the waterfall, a tall old tree fallen halfway across the river just up
from the fall.
Initiative Order (Kyan, Thran, Theo, Margo, current): Kyan
took off running towards the tree, where he began to remove his heavy armor
that would hinder his attempts to swim. Thran dismounted and dashed toward the
tree and paused to tie a rope around his waist before he began inching across
the wet surface. Theo led the free horse toward the tree where he tie his rope
to the horses’ harness. He also tied Kyan’s rope to his in case they needed a
longer rope. Margo galloped upriver to get abeam the woman before she
dismounted and began to swim out. The fast current surprised her and swept her off
her feet. As for the woman: she was more focused on keeping her child’s head
above water.
It took 2 rounds for Kyan to remove his armor
before he tied the long rope about his waist. Analyzing the setting, he ran
upriver to get abeam the woman being swept downstream before he stepped into
the water himself to swim. By now Thran had thrown the other end of his rope to
Theo to secure to the horse before the elf climbed further out on the tree.
[fumble] Thran slipped and fell into the cold water, adding to the number of
people to be rescued! Theo became the anchor for his allies: he prodded his
horse upriver to take the slack out of Thran’s rope to keep the elf from
spilling over the falls. But he also had to manually reel in the slack in Kyan’s
long rope.
Margo kick-swam with the current and soon caught
up to the mother. The 3 of them now rode the waves together like a fishing
bobber. Kyan realized the current was stronger than he expected and pushed
himself harder (Inspiration and Action Surge) to swim further out into the
river. It was as if his forward motion created its own wave that pushed the
bobbing trio just out of his reach. Meanwhile, Thran frantically kicked his
feet as he tried to pull himself up the rope towards the tree. But the
splashing water made the rope slick, hindering his effort. Theo thought about
riding the horse away from the river to remove the slack in Kyan’s rope but
realized with Thran’s rope already tight, such movement might impale the elf on
a tree branch. Thus, the Beorning continued to manually spool in the slack. As
for Margo: she kicked her hairy fat feet even harder trying to direct the trio
towards the tree bank.
As it turned out, with Kyan grasping the
trio, and his rope now taunt, they soon swung from the middle of the river
towards the tree where Thran finally found foothold and also exited the water.
And the infant continued to wail which only meant he/she hadn’t drowned. And
that’s when Theo (now astride the horse) noticed the strange faces staring at them
from across the river. Angry, concerned faces that almost looked troll-like in
appearance, maybe 7 ft tall! In fact, now that the mother and child were out of
the water, they also looked troll-like with fat noses and faces. “We’ve got
company.”
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First Contact: Theo tried to talk above the roaring river
but quickly realized they didn’t speak the same language. He tried to sign “We
are friendly. We saved your friends.” Thran realized he and Kyan and the horses
hid the mother and child, “They might think we mean harm. We need to show that
they are all right.”
Audience: Theo’s wilderness presence best matched
their nomadic traits. His noble leather armor also leant an air of common
ground such that the situation was defused. The leader signed for all to meet
below the waterfall to join up. Kyan placed the mother and child on one of the
horses to show respect as they crossed the shallow lower river to meet up with
the strange men.
Now that they had time to study the large
troll-like men, Thran remembered from his reading about the history of men, “The Edain were the
noblest of men at the time of the Wars of Beleriand, after which the
lands to the west of the Blue Mountains sank unto the seas. From these
Edain were born the Dunedain (of Arnor and Gondor) along with the more
mysterious Druedain. These secretive people were few in number but demonstrated
uncanny powers. You may have heard of them called Ruatani (those that
live near Rohan), but there is another faction of them known as the Wose
for their troll-like appearance.” Thran couldn’t help but tease, “And
from the looks of it, Wose and Beornings are related.”
Whatever miles they walked, they soon arrived
at the Wose camp. More women and children poured out of the teepees to study
the strange collection of people. Most had never seen an elf and certainly none
had seen a hobbit. Which might explain the kids pulling at Margo’s hairy feet
as if trying to remove boots. Margo winced and cried till she finally got the
point across that she didn’t wear boots.
Margo jumped for joy when she smelled the
feast laid out before them. She dove in oblivious to manners and others
reaching for the same piece of meat. Celebration that the chief’s wife and son
were rescued by these strangers. But it was Kyan who noticed that while the
women served the platters of food, they went hungry. In fact, the men seemed to
pick at the food as if scarce rations. Not to offend his host, Kyan made a game
of whistling and playing with the kids and thus offering food from his plate as
reward for their play. And the chieftain smiled before leading them before a
ring.
Wrestling: The rules were simple: start 10 feet apart
within a 20ft ring. The first to pin his opponent or push him out of the ring
wins. Everyone was too polite when the offer/challenge was made: Margo stepped
forward.
Margo versus
Wose#2: Margo kept her towering
opponent off-balance as she darted between his legs. He twisted and turned
until he tripped. And that’s when she jumped to pin him. And that’s when he was
finally able to snare her and carry her out of the ring.
Kyan versus
Wose#2: The dwarf made a feint
for his opponent’s legs which got the brute looking down when Kyan bull rushed.
But the Wose proved to be a more solid opponent than Kyan expected. And maybe
the same said as truth for the Wose underestimating his opponent as he fumbled
his grapple. Kyan quickly took advantage of the turn of events, grappled the
Wose and pinned him to win the match.
Theo versus
Wose#4: It only made sense
that the largest opponent stepped forward. Theo acted first, failing to trip or
grapple. At least he easily (natural 20) fought off the Wose’s counter trip
action. And once again Theo tried (and failed) to grapple the Wose. But that is
also when the feast caught up with Theo who let out a loud and raunchy fart.
The poor Wose’s eyes watered (fumble) as he tried to grapple the Beorning but
failed. Theo feinted going for the legs before putting all his weight into a
push (opposed STRsave 20-8), driving his teary-eyed foe outside the ring for
the win.
Thran versus
Wose#1: Even if his opponent
was larger, he was the smallest of the Wose. The elf didn’t waste time as he
dove in for a grapple (natural 20). Surely, he had his foe…maybe it was sweat
from the prior matches, but the Wose fought off Thran’s hold (his own natural
20!). Even Thran’s attempted trip maneuver failed. But the Wose also failed in
his feint attempt to push the elf out of the ring as Thran stepped to the side.
Maybe that’s why the elf fell (his own fumbled trip attack). The Wose dove in
for the grapple and easily pinned the elf (who fumbled again!).
Dancing: As the sun set, a bonfire was lit as the
Wose began to dance and sing. Soon actors joined in a circle about the fire,
each wearing the head or fur of an animal (deer, bear, wolf, badger, etc.). By
now they had managed enough sign language to know that the Wose were preparing
for a morning hunt. This was a ritual to honor the upcoming kill. Theo
explained to the others how the dancing was meant to revere the game about to
be hunted.
As they sat beside the chief during the
dancing ceremony, the clan shaman threw bones to predict tomorrow’s hunt. And
that’s when a burning log rolled off the pile and landed at the feet of one of
the children. Kyan rushed forward to save the child. Maybe the others didn’t
see it, but Thran’s Insight saw this as a bad omen. Maybe that’s why he was reluctant
to agree to join tomorrow’s hunt. But in the end, all agreed considering Kyan
had told them about the women and children starving during the feast.
Pit Hunting: The site had already been prepared. A 10ft
wide pit was dug at the base of a cliff on the west side of the prairie basin.
The Wose would span out to the north of the pit with quartz-crystals tied atop
8ft tall staffs. When the sun rose, light would reflect off the crystals keeping
any wild animal within their corridor. Then the hunters would drive the animals
toward the pit for a humane “culling” of the herd as the strong would easily
bound over the pit. Only the weak would fall in to be taken as manna for the tribe.
Women and children stood near the piles of dirt beside the pit, ready to kill
those that fell into the pit. They would gut and skin the animals.
Kyan decided to be an observer and thus stood
to the northwest at the base of the cliff, far away from the pit. Theo was
nearby, ready with his own crystal staff. He happened to look over his shoulder
and saw large vultures on a tree atop the cliff. At first, he thought them a
danger but then realized their presence was a natural event in such hunts. Each
had their own roles to play in the hunt. Thran decided to be closer to the pit
on the eastern side, while Margo climbed the lone tree about 20 ft from the pit
also on the east. As the sun rose, it was easy to hear the animals stir from
their nighttime bedding. Antlers rose above the tall prairie grass. Sunlight
reflected off the crystals keeping the animals within the confines of the
planned corridor. Had they coordinated a signal to start the stampede? Was Theo’s
failed stealth by accident? Deer bolted south between the crystal lined
corridor, which stirred up rabbits and other game added to the stampede. The
women and children heard the commotion and readied for their task at hand.
Get Ready, Here they Come: High up in the tree, Margo noticed more than expected. She tried to yell warning, “Watch out! There’s a mama…” [fumble] She lost her handhold and fell from the tree. Meanwhile, Thran heard the crashing of something large charging towards the pit. Just out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw 2 small fat animals fall into the pit.
And that’s
when the huge brown bear appeared, with its gapping maw roaring as it spied the
women and children as it towered over the pit. The elf notched an arrow and drew
his bow tight, [Insight] when he realized those 2 small fat animals must have
been her cubs! Thran quickly anchored his grapple-hook and threw the attached rope
into the pit to climb down. [Animal Handle] The elf managed to calm one cub; he
grabbed it by its back-of-the-neck skin and tossed it as high as he could. Just
within reach of mama bear who snatched it out of the air.
Theo heard Margo’s cry of warning but puzzled
at her sudden disappearance. He slowly stealthed across the corridor to
investigate. Kyan also heard Margo’s warning but couldn’t see anything from his
far vantage point. He pulled out his spyglass but the tall prairie grass
hindered his vision. Margo gasped for breath from the fall that knocked the air
from her lungs. Kyan knew enough to realize something was wrong when he heard
the distant roar. He ran towards the pit.
Meanwhile, Thran had to deal with wounded
deer that had fallen into the pit as expected as he chased after the other cub.
Soon he had that one collared and repeated the throw to mama towering over him.
With her cubs safe, she turned and left.
Kyan reached the edge of the pit in time to
see the prairie grass bend as if more animals approached. He was surprised when
3 wolves sprang from the grass at the women of the western end of the pit. In a
coordinated attacked [Advantage when 2 or more attack one prey], they tripped one
woman as one bit her leg to pin her for mauling. Kyan sprang into action: he
first blew his whistle to distract the wolves, then charged with his great axe.
The solid hit flared with a burst of light that blinded 2 of the wolves.
[Action Surge] He wheeled around with the axe to strike again, cleaving the
head from the wolf that attacked the woman. Theo heard the whistle and bolted
into his own run towards the pit.
As Thran climbed the rope out of the eastern
side of the pit, he heard those women and children crying in distress. He poked
his head above the side and came face-to-face with 2 more snarling wolves! And
that’s when Theo appeared with his hand-axes raised to attack. The wolves got
in their bites first: Theo winced in pain from their long fangs that sank into
his thigh but managed to keep his footing and not be tripped. And that’s when
he saw the arrow sink deep into the side of one of his attackers (Margo’s
deadly sneak attack). As for Kyan: his 2 blinded wolves snapped and snarled but
missed.
Thran stood and closed on Theo’s attackers
but missed. At least Theo was able to kill the wounded wolf. The last wolf bit
Theo but realizing he was outnumbered: he turned to run, leaving his flank open
(Attack-Of-Opportunity) to Theo who sliced thru the thick fur. Margo took a shot
at the fleeing wolf but missed per its cover in the tall grass. At least Thran’s
arrow found its mark but didn’t bring the wolf down. Meanwhile, the 2 wolves
continued to strike at Kyan: one hit. Kyan slew that one just as Thran arrived
to swing at the other wolf. Theo readied an arrow till Thran stepped in front
of his target; so, he closed with his axes instead… and missed…twice. The wolf
knew enough to disengage.
Thran drew his bow and notched an arrow until
Kyan ordered otherwise, “Forget the beast. Tend to the wounded woman. Is anyone
else hurt?” As they pulled out bandages and Thran used his Healing-Hands,
the Wose women and children ignored them as they climbed into the pit to finish
the task of the hunt. Besides 2 deer in the pit, they were also able to skin
and harvest the 3 dead wolves. The Wose men soon arrived and noticed the dead
wolves and strangers binding their wounds. They didn’t show much concern: it
was their natural way of life. Soon horses were brought forward with A-frame drag-litters
to bring the meat and hides back to camp.
Back at Camp: There was much singing and dancing to
re-enact the hunt. Thran acted out his rescue of the cubs while Theo acted out
his arrival scene when Thran’s head was exposed to the wolves. Margo acted out
her scene… of falling out of the tree to the delight of the kids. Kyan avoided
such display; instead, he checked on the wounded woman.
Once again the chief led
them into a large sweat lodge to sit around a fire to cleanse their thoughts
and emotions of the hunt. A peace-pipe was passed amongst them. All watched the smoke rings floating above them:
The smoke coalesced into their forms entering a cave
where a star shone forth. Its rays collapsed into Sauron himself standing on a
cliff. He suddenly fell from a death wound; his amulet shattered upon the
ground. A burst of 6 black rays shone form, each turning into various humanoid
forms carrying a box that held black light. One group was dwarfs, another Ents,
Hobbits, Elves, and two groups of men. The ray of one man-group moved over the
chief and blended into his form.
And that’s when they all woke from the
trance! [Insight] Thran immediately recognized the significance of their
vision, “These
Wose/Druedain are the other human race that carried off a shard. Near Minas
Tirith we found the first human race, Dunedain. Belemir and the twin rangers
took a shard recovered by Orcs from the dwarven mines of Moria.” [fumble:
2 points of Shadow] Kyan was unsettled by the realization and worried the Wose
were now in danger.
The chief saw the concern on the dwarf’s face
and re-assured all in his broken attempt to communicate, “That which we bare is well protected and hidden.” And that’s when the procession of women entered the hut bearing gifts:
Kyan- Latha Medicine
Bundle: Moss (freshwater). Rub on
chest to cure a fever, the flu, or common cold. Removes 2 levels of exhaustion.
TN12 to find in nature.
Theo- Cram Medicine
Bundle: Bread. One slice provides
nutrition for 1 day and cures 1 level Exhaustion. Loaf (7 servings) stays fresh
for 7 weeks. TN20 to find in nature.
Thran & Margo- Thurl Medicine Bundles: Clove (deciduous forests). Drink as brew to induce vomiting to remove
1d4+2 poison wounds. CONsave DC12 else 1 Exhaustion. TN15 to find in nature.
They
each received a potion of Bull’s Strength (each +2d6 Temporary HPs for
the day).
The
chief’s wife entered to present Thran with a pair of fur boots made from wolf
skin (+1 Stealth). [Whomever rescued the cubs.] The Wose realized the threat
the brown bear posed to the hunt.
And that’s when they heard the roar of the
bear from nearby. Not a wounded cry nor a threatening howl. They went to
investigate and came upon a clearing. When they appeared, the bear and cubs
departed leaving 2 forms on the ground. As the group approached, they found the
bodies of the 2 wolves that had escaped. One still had Thran’s arrow sunk in
its flank. More meat and skins for the tribe.
Fellowship Phase: They spent the next 2 days interacting with
the Wose tribe that held another hunt to stock up on their meat supplies. Enough
time to recover from their wounds.
Thran trained with the
Wose to improve his Athletic skill. He also shared his herb knowledge
with the Wose who showed him the raw ingredients used for the medicine bundles.
Theo foraged in the wild
for a replacement queen bee since his was drowned in the shipwreck. He harvested
honey from their wild bee comb and sought out the brown bears to offer them
some. His time with them improved his Animal Handling trait.
Kyan used his time to
meditate (removed 2 Shadow points). He also spent time improving the Wose’s
hunting crystals by adding a black backside to the quartz to keep the refracted
light forward.
But the time came for them to be on their way.
Their 2 draft horses had been replaced with 4 hiding horses complete with
bite/bridle/saddle. Margo appeared with her own new headdress: a skullcap made
from a wolf’s head but more resembled a pair of rabbit ears, “They saw Thran’s
long elf ears and thought to make me look like his child.”
NEXT
SESSION:
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