A7S1 – Banished Son
[From the scenario The Doom of Arnulf, by Dean Paolillo]
July 21st: They witnessed Lord Arnulf’s ‘return to the living’ when his son Calanhir placed his brother Calanlas’ sword in his father’s hands. After a long-awaited family reunion, Lord Arnulf called the strangers forward, “Will you honor an old man’s request? I speak to you not as a lord of my people, or with the authority of my lineage but simply as a father. Seek out my children Deoch and Malbeth and bring them to me before I draw my last breath. I must have been spelled to banish my son Malbeth. Spelled indeed to let my wretched nephew Cardoc steal away my daughter Deoch. I need my son Calanhir at my side to lead the defenses of Alatopel. I cannot bear to lose him too out in the wilderness.”
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9pm: Concerned about defenses and the threat, Kyan enlisted the women and children to craft hand-mirrors on staffs for use by rampart guards to blind the enemy by reflecting torch light. “You said there have been repeated nightly attacks; that suggests the wolves bed-down nearby.” Captain Torrgund described the large foe as wolves, “They climb the walls and kill a few watch-guards before leaving. None have breached the insides. And they drag off their dead; so, we don’t have an exact description. They are cunning and ruthless.” The rescued dwarves volunteered to search the forest within a hundred yards of the fortress for any signs of where they came from. Thran joined them outside as he searched for Flax, “Crush the seeds for its oil to put on our arrows. It will cause paralysis to maybe slow them down.” The dwarves and elf returned empty-handed. At least Theo was able to set up a few traps: a swinging spike trap and a leg-snare to trigger a pot of grease to spill on the beast.
Midnight: Guards welcomed the shift change as they had grown weary from the worn-off adrenaline rush of their lord’s recovery and thus celebration. The new guards stoked their fire-pots and held their staff mirrors high as they searched for foe near the edge of the forest, which only hastened their fatigue. Inside the great hall, the fellowship rested still dressed in their armor.
Howls in the Night /6am (30 minutes before dawn): Theo perked up at the sound of the restless barn animals. Snorting pigs and mooing cows before the horses started to neigh loudly. Waking the others, he stood to investigate and reached the hall entrance just as an alarm was sounded from the ramparts. Outside, without torchlight, Theo could still see movement along the ramparts highlighted by the firepots. At least 2 wolves attacked the ramparts lookouts.
Low growls alerted him to two more wolves within the walls, 20 feet away: he fired 2 arrows. Thran appeared at his side and got off an arrow shot that sailed wide. Kyan appeared, closed on the closest wolf, and swung RingRist that flared: Theo got his first good look at the wolves! Kyan’s dog hesitantly attacked.
[The DisAdvantage caused by the flare of RingRist offset the Advantage normally gained by the wolves’ Pack-Tactic.]
The wolves snarled as they viciously snapped at Kyan and Theo. And that’s when another wolf appeared, having dug a hole under the wall. As Theo swung at his foe, Thran took off running towards the gate ramparts when he realized it was Iwar and his son Loegir being attacked. Instead of climbing the stairs, he opted to throw his grappling hook that bounced off the wall. He doubled his effort and climbed the secured rope, exposing himself to the wolf! Seeing a defenseless prey, that wolf ignored Iwar and snapped at Thran.
Kyan killed his foe but saw the remaining wolves embolden by
the arrival of their leader who horrendously howled as he stepped out of the
barn with gore and blood caked on his face (having mauled the livestock). Any
Alatopian hillman who glanced would have become frightened. The leader almost
knocked Theo down when it attacked. That’s when Theo chose to transform into a
bear. Kyan realized Theo was vulnerable (during his transformation) and heroically stepped between him and
the leader and wolf. He took the brunt of their attacks as the wolf bit through
his leg armor for a nasty gash. The leader connected with both claws and would
have delivered a nasty bit had Kyan not thrust RingRist in its maw.
A shadow grew over Kyan as Theo changed into a grizzly bear. Upon the ramparts, Thran warned father and son not to look as he raised his staff and cast Sunburst: all wolves within 60ft suffered radiant damage and some became blinded. One wolf attacking another lookout lost its footing and fell off the rampart. After Kyan wrestled RingRist from the mouth of the wolf leader, [nat 20] he took advantage of the sunburst to swing a vicious blow against the leader. The wolf leader and its adjacent ally retaliated but with weakened effect. Theo-the-Bear towered over the leader and struck with a claw and a deadly bite that ripped furry flesh (bleed 3). The other wolf retreated for the tunnel from where he appeared. On the rampart, Thran killed his blinded foe. Kyan [using his action surge] ganged up on the leader, slaying it. Which allowed Theo-the-Bear to run/jump/spring onto the roof of the barn and attack the last wolf threatening a lookout.
Within minutes, calm was restored to Alatopel as other Alatopian
warriors reported the other wolves suddenly retreated. Back in human form, Theo
reasoned the wolves felt the loss of their leader and cowardly left. Sunrise
revealed the hillmen gathering their dead. And this time, they had dead wolves
to inspect: unnatural wolves almost 50% larger than they’d ever seen! As for the wolf leader…it was
not a wolf but rather a naked human! Confusion soon turned to realization THIS was a werewolf!
While Thran treated the wounded, other hillmen searched the outside perimeter
and found that Theo’s trap had indeed caught one wolf: at least what remained
of a gnawed off human
leg still in the trap. Kyan suggested the hillmen leave the wolf tunnels but to
trap the inside with a deadfall.
The Road North: Breakfast included butchered wolf as Torrgund passed around a tankard of the wolf-leader’s blood, “Drink of thy enemy and take a bite of his heart. Tribute to its fearsomeness and to our success.” Did they overhear the cook’s report to Lord Arnulf, “The wolves slaughtered much of our livestock. Our supplies are running low. Unless you are willing to send hunters into the woods, we have a week’s worth of supplies.”
EMBARKATION [Peril 3 less Theo’s Known Land’s -2 adjust = 1: result 9) Paths Swift and True]
As they settled in their saddles, Iwar approached Thran with a bundle, “The last of our bread for your brave act of saving my boy Loiger.” Calanhir rode up; instead of wishing them well, “That is my brother and sister out there! Torrgund has been captain of the guards. He is a solid and well-respected leader. Father reluctantly agreed to let me join you. May blessings be upon you today as we set forth after my kin.” [He granted each a Warden’s gift die (1d8).]
As they rode north along animal trails, they easily spotted the inbound tracks of the wolves. And underneath those prints were outbound horse tracks that Calanhir reasoned, “Those must be of Malbeth and his loyal bodyguards who accompanied him. The 2-score of men (40) Torrgund sent out were on foot.”
Copse of the Dead: Two days out, they came upon a clutch of trees where birds circled overhead. The smell of death tainted the air as they cautiously approached. Within the grove they found an old encampment littered with 17 bodies in various states of decay with black-fletched arrows sunk deep into the chests and with deep slash cuts. Maggots crawled out of their swollen lips and from their open chest cavity: the attacking Orc had feasted on their hearts! From their state of decay, Thran reasoned they had been killed 2 weeks ago. It was easy to find the tracks of the large Orc force that had ambushed these hillmen as all realized they were part of the force sent out to find Malbeth. Theo reasoned at least 40 Orc! And underneath the Orc prints heading north, harder to find, were human prints in running strides. Obviously, the survivors were being pursued. Calanhir was pleased when Kyan suggested they camp here to properly bury the dead.
Malbeth’s Stand: With the sky darkened by overcast clouds, they continued north for another day,
Dismounted, they snuck closer as they planned their attack. Thran raised his staff as he looked at the overcast clouds and channeled to Control the Weather. [It will take 7 rounds for the weather to change from overcast to clear skies.] Theo crept closer before transforming into a bear to bullrush the archers. He caught most unaware as he trampled their rank. Kyan used the distraction to creep closer to the trio of large black Orcs that seemed to be orchestrating the attack as all of their forces were banging blades on shields in a fevered pitch before their charge down the slopes. Kyan was within 30ft when one noticed him as the others charged down their slope.
Malbeth’s men had prepared for the assault: When the rain of arrows descended, they raised shields to block most. When the Orc charged, at the last second, the men raised long sharpened staves to impale the charging Orc. It soon became a clash of forces where those at range couldn’t tell friend from foe.
Kyan had already reminded Thran. And when the elf saw the overwhelming force of Orc charge, he pulled out his whistle (bestowed by Radagast-the-Brown) and blew the silent alarm. He then rushed forward to lend aid to the surrounded Hillmen. But he was intercepted by a Black Uruk who gashed him [natural 20 for 17 damage].
Kyan blocked his assailant and struck with RingRist that flared, blinding his and Thran’s attackers. Theo-the-Bear mauled the archers as those at a distance targeted him with their poison-laced arrows. [Theo’s higher CON as a bear shrugged off any poison effect.] 3 surviving archers fled when they realized their arrows had little effect. And that’s when Calanhir’s arrows struck Thran’s attacker as the warden joined the fight. Good timing considering Thran fumbled his attack and lost his blade.
The mass of hillmen and Orc were almost on equal footing with numbers falling on either side. Except for the Black Uruk who were hardier and deadlier in their attacks. Yet when Kyan killed his foe, he raised RingRist as he shouted a dwarven battle-cry [that action forced WISsave else Frightened condition]. The Orc forces seemed to waver in realization they had lost their leader. The tide had turned as another Black Uruk fell at the hands of a trio of hillmen. As the clouds began to dissipate, Kyan and his wolfhound charged down the hill to engage the Orc. Theo-the-Bear also charged (faster) at the mass of Orc attacking the hillmen. And when a lone Uruk turned to flee, Orc soldiers broke off their fight and followed as they shielded their eyes from the sun that broke through the clouds. Between Thran attacking with his quarterstaff and Calanhir’s blade, they slew their foe.
Aftermath: Three Orc archers had already fled the field of battle. Two Uruk and 8 Orc soldiers also fled. A bloody but alive Malbeth stood defiant in the ring of dead men and Orc. Of his 20 hillmen, only 13 remained. Seven lost hillmen versus 3-dozen dead Orc seemed a favorable outcome; except, there were more Orc where those came from! Calanhir rushed to the side of his brother for a deserved family reunion. Malbeth told of his efforts to defend Alatopel from afar, “My Wolves’ Head band of men have tried to thwart those wolves before they reached Alatopel. My bodyguards were able to save half of the men sent by Torrgund from that Orc ambush. We’ve been fighting a retreating battle ever since. Cardoc took Deoch?! We did not see him pass. He must have slipped around us and continued on to Amon Garzak.”
Meanwhile, the fellowship captured 2 Orc soldiers. With
Theo-the-Bear looming over them, and Kyan wielding RingRist as Thran’s staff
crackled with magical energy, the Orc mockingly spewed vengeance, “So you
live another few days. Those that got away will report to Captain Mormog and Yrreth. More will
boil forth to watch your blood seep into the ground as they feast on your
hearts. Mormog? I’m sure you’ve heard of Olog-Hai (giant troll-like beast). He
arrived with trolls to join our ranks. HE won’t fail in leading his forces to
victory. Yrreth? He of black-speak sorcery will slay your feeble wizard and his
staff. Cardoc? That pitiful human and his female trophy he keeps in the tower
off his banquet hall. The human captain Waelgauth is the true leader of the
band of Rhudaur hillmen still aligned with Orc.”
And that’s when the sky darkened once more. Except this time, it was from the shadows of the 5 Great Eagles that responded to Thran’s whistle.
NEXT SESSION:
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