Into the Woods

Friday, May 3, 2019 AD

Postredies, Araunum 33, 2204 DE

Following their audience with the Baron, and subsequent planning discussions, Neilas and Stephye went to see Udin, cousin of the slaughtered farmer of whose farm the party had been given freehold. The two asked about the possibility of purchasing the farm and hiring Udin to look after it. Udin, a trapper, said he had no interest in running a farm and would be agreeable to accepting coin for the structures. After some negotiation they agreed to 170 crowns for the property. The two promised to return with specie after confirming the sale with their colleagues and in perhaps an hour turned over to Udin 30 pounds of silver and 4 platinum coins. Udin invited them in to take a drink of wine, which they did before returning to the inn for the night.

The next day, Restday the 34^th, Stephye went to Higherdall’s Foodstuffs to purchase provisions for the party for 12 days and inquire about hiring Allard as a guide again. Although he had success with the provisioning, Stephye learned that Allard was off serving as a guide to someone else. His father said that he was expected back in 4 or 5 days.

Meanwhile, Neilas spent some time at the Timberfall inquiring about where someone who could teach witchcraft might be found. Although he did not receive direct responses to that question he did discover that there is a healer, who sounded like possibly a witch, residing at the edge of the forest and farms to the west of town, perhaps two hours’ walk away.

Sammuel determined that he might learn feather fall from the book he had given to Brent and had been studying in his library. Sammuel found much of the work to be over his head and had the distinct impression he might learn more powerful magic from this book after gaining some experience.

After a restful Homeday, Sybel was fully recovered and the party set out without Allard to return to the abandoned village on Workday the 36^th. At the end of the first day they found themselves clearing the wood and entering plains; not where they expected to be. The night passed uneventfully and in the morning, noting that the hilly part of the forest was north of them, and remembering passing by hills closely with Allard they set out northward. At mid-day Neilas climbed a tree to confirm their orientation northward. By the end of the day they were at higher elevation and not confident that they were heading the way they should be.

During the night, three goblins mounted on wolfs attacked the camp. On their first pass through they wounded Neilas and remained unscathed as well as unperturbed by Sammuel’s attempt to distract them with illusionary moans and magically tweaking one wolf’s tail. The riders turned to charge through the camp a second time and this time Stephye landed a powerful blow to one of the wolves, and Neilas put an arrow into the leg of another, while two of the riders struck Sybel with their cutlasses. Sammuel completed a spell knocking the three riders and one of the wolves unconscious. As the last, riderless, wolf ran off, Sybel struck it with a sling bullet.

Sybel skinned the wolf and the party recovered a small suit of chainmail from a goblin who also wore a string of noses, some human, some goblin, around his neck. The other two riders wore leather armor deemed unworthy of looting.