The decision is made over lunch and it doesn't take long for the four adventurers to get prepared.  Having just recently travelled to the Temple, they know the way that far, and already have such items of tents, pans, sleeping rolls, and the like from previous journeys.

Last minute preparations are made, and contact with the distraught sister Minnow to let her know you've decided to at least investigate a bit, for which is deeply moved.

The first day of travel and the first night are easy and well familiar.  You simply make your way to the campsite above the Temple.  There you find friendly scholars, a warm fire, and a well established campsite.  It is pleasant evening amongst young bright minds who are happy to see you all.  They of course, knowing Delta, ask for her to entertain them with a song or three.

The next day dawns with cooler winds coming from the sea, with the promise of light showers in the morning.  Your way forward is unknown, only you are to travel till you reach some wetlands and then turn North towards the mountain and follow a stream/river.

ooc: for the journey, please give me a general single file marching order, and also a night watch plan.

Thrilled at the request, Delta sings a few tunes, The Carpenter and the Nun, Seven Sisters Godiva and part of one she is writing about the temple and the goddess, into which she adds Bre'al and Jimma, and for the first time she adds a little about Vala and the embrace of the Goddess, hoping her friend won't mind. In the saga, the embrace is gratitude for the way for mighty warrior swung her blade to defeat the vile captors.

She had brought the scholars a small cask of the blueberry cider, and for once allowed others to do the cooking, opting to relax before the challenge ahead.

When discussion of a watch comes up, Delta requests to be first, to allow her to rest more fully for her magical studies.

"I would prefer a watch in the night; third or fourth slot is fine."

"I will take watch at dawn," Matthias replies. "The better to attend to morning prayers and to seek divine guidance."

On the issue of marching order, Matthias is agreeable to any location and does not have a strong preference one way or another. His outlook can be stated to be similar on the watch rotation--if someone else absolutely insists on taking last watch, he compromises.

The party sets out following the coast in a near eastern direction.  There are few real paths here, occasionally open ground or animal paths make the going easier but it slow none the less.  With cloaks pulled tight against the light mist and cool breezes from the sea, the day slips by.  At the end of a long day, you have still not found any sign of a river or stream coming in from inland but you have noticed growing mountains in the far to the North.  Somewhere within them, you imagine is the nunnery.

Setting camp for the night,  Delta, Tanyl, Vala and then Matthias take a peaceful watch.  Still close enough you can hear the distant sea, and it passes without incident.  Breaking camp, the third day of your journey begin much as the last did and remains so until noon when the mists break and the sun returns.  It is shortly after you break for lunch that you begin to encounter small rivulets of clear water and within an hour, the trees give way to great fields of marsh grasses, and small shrubs and the ground begins to get too soft to walk on. The insects and birds clearly rules this part of the land, it has its own smell, sounds, and is strangely beautiful.

Forced to retreat somewhat, you turn North and follow the edge of the wetlands for the rest of the day, but as it narrows, they are beginning to give way to a true water source.  Finding a suitable spot the party begins to settle in for the evening.

ooc: Will you have a campfire each evening??

A creature of comfort, Delta would like a fire, of course, but she will defer to the wisdom of Vala or one of the others should they suggest against it.

"Unless it's cold I don't need a fire; it may keep away insects and animals, but it would attract other attention."

Tanyl shrugs.

"Insects are a known problem; it could be best to deal with the known problem and let whatever happens happen."

If the cook wants a fire, a fire it is, or so an old fable goes.

A medium fire is comforting in the wild and this close to water, it gets chilly at night, and so the party maintains a campfire.

During Tanyl's watch, he hears some loud buzzing, and sees three of four giant horseflies hover around the campsite.  Knowing how bad a small horsefly hurts when it bites, he's pretty happy when these catch a whiff of smoke and move on, they are size of cats and could probably suck the blood out of man in a matter of minutes.

The rest of the night passes quietly, though when Vala relieves Tanyl, she notices the fire is built up a bit larger than before.

"I hope the bugs don't become larger or more numerous as we advance," Tanyl frets, knowing full well that they are likely to do both.

The next day of travel is a pleasant one, the stream is wide, clear and relatively straight and though there are no defined trails, the trees are sparse enough and the grade slight enough that it goes by easily.  You occasionally spook wildlife, birds, deer, rabbits, and the like.  Another night passes uneventfully, but the next day, the travel begins to slow. The stream narrows and flows faster, and the land begins to rise and become rocky.  You pass many beautiful waterfalls, and occasionally are forced to swing wide away from the stream in order to continue upwards.  It is during one of these times, away from the stream, that you find a path, well used and it leads up into an area of trees and high glades.

It is here you see what looks like an injured animal tangled in a netting of ropes, from a distance, it appears to be a large animal, and is bloodied as well as tangled.

"We should put the poor thing out of its misery" Delta says, though she looks to the others and does not make an effort to do so herself. Even injured, it might be too much for her.

During the trip, she chats with any small burrowing animals who will answer her calls.

"Can you talk to this animal?" Tanyl asks as he tries to identify its species.

As Tanyl moves a little closer for a better look, his heart sinks.  It appears to be a white horse, more specifically, a unicorn colt, it has several arrows in its flank, and its horn looked to have been cut off, it is flailing in the tangled net.

Matthias' heartbeat races when he sees the trapped animal. After the shock has subsided, he looks at the snare to try to determine what sort of animal is caught within. The cleric maintains a respectable distance between himself and the snare, but does draw closer if necessary to get a better look.

Upon drawing closer and getting a better look, Matthias is overcome with emotion...
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Mon 29 Mar 2021.

Tanyl is unwilling to kill the unicorn.

He draws his weapons for another purpose, however:

"Whoever laid this trap may come to finish the job.  Matthias, will your spells work on it?"

Matthias looks upon the wounded unicorn colt and begins to feel quite sickened by what he sees. Responding to Tanyl, "I don't know, but I can try..."

Matthias cautiously approaches the trapped unicorn and will attempt to lay his hand on the unicorn's flank. If successful, he will cast cure light wounds to determine whether his magic has any effect on the creature.

Vala looked at the unicorn with less sentiment than the others. She'd grown up hearing endless tales about hunting monsters after all and even a pretty one wasn't neccessarily friendly.

"The trapper is probably trying to lure out the parent or else they'd take the horn," Vala said.

Now aware of the nature of the creature, and more aware of the situation, Delta also thinks they should attempt to rescue it.

"I agree with Vala, it must be bait," she said, looking about nervously. "We certainly don't want the parents to think we committed this atrocity. Could the horn we have belong to this little one? Are we being set up?"

She attempts to make soothing noises, and tries to see how hard it would be to free it from the trap.

"This certainly is in keeping with the idea that the Sisters' of Elhonna are in some sort of trouble."

As Matthias approaches the wounded unicorn, it snorts, and flails harder for a few moments, but finally stops and actually stares at him.  The wildness in its eyes seem to calm, and the priest sees intelligence in those eyes.  Fear, hurt, but more too.

For just a moment he locks eyes with it and feels almost dizzy.

Matthias holds his hand above the wounded colt's flank and begins to sway before eventually steadying himself on a nearby tree.

In a nearly breathless voice, the young cleric says, "The unicorn has been poisoned. The arrows. Must be...removed."

Matthias leans against the tree and adds, "My magic will do nothing unless we extract those arrows. Even then, I am not sure. But we must try!"

In reply to Matthias (msg # 20):

Glad that the child can be freed, and hopefully saved, Delta stands out of the way, convinced her presence would hamper more than help.

"Matthias, what about the horn, it deals with poison. Can we use that? Do you think it might, I don't know, attach itself?"

While Matthias is leaning against the tree, another thumps into the tree next to his head.  This one though, is not black and dripping with poison, although that fact might not be the first thing he notices.

"I did not have to miss, tell me are not here to harm unicorns, or the next arrows, will drop you and your friends, one by one".  The voice is calm, with an elven accent.

"We are not here to hurt the poor creature, in fact we were discussing trying to aid it. Would you care to help us free it?"

Delta speaks to the air, without attempting to seek the source of the arrow or the voice. She was frustrated that no one had answered her suggestions, but this was not the time.

There is quiet for a moment, then a deep sigh,

"Dammit, I swear if you are lying, you'll regret it...".

A moment later, a young elf carrying a bow moves into sight, dressed in browns, and greens, with chainmail, a sword, and bow, he is the model image of woodsman, or Ranger.  Without another thought he rushes to the unicorn and speaks to it, it whinnies in response.

"There is not time for gentleness, you, priest, come here and lean over its neck and try to hold it down, block it from watching...".

Assuming Matthias does this, the young elf rather unceremoniously tears the arrows out of its flanks.  Then leans over the two holes trying to stop the flow of blood!

"We have a small horn given to us in the city." Delta shows the horn to the elf. "As you can see, it has been separate for awhile, I was told it was a natural molt. Could it be used to help with the poison?"

Matthias startles when the elf calls out in warning, but once it is clear the woodsman seems to have no ill intent, the cleric does as commanded.

Matthias aids the elf and comments, "we were not trying to hurt it. We were trying to help..."

While awaiting the result of the elf's efforts, Matthias considers whether a cure light wounds spell would have any effect.

Matthias, and in fact most people, don't know a lot about unicorns.  They are shy to the extreme, and seem more myth than real to most.  It is known they exist but what is told of them is more difficult to discern fact from story.  They are goodly, their horns have special healing properties, those pretty much are agreed to be factual.  Matthias knows of no reason a cure spell wouldn't work on them, it does have some limitations but the spell has broad uses.

Vala was looking awkward and after a moment of hesitation spoke up. "Uh... I don't know if this is true but do unicorns really react best to, um, maidens?"

At Vala's comment, Delta's left eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch, and she stifled a smile. Even she had 'experimented' behind Master Given's Apple barn on festival night! She wondered at the life of her friend, clearly being a barbarian Princess was a lifetime and a half away from like in her little village.

Still, it was people like Vala who became the center of great sagas, Delta would probably never rise above having her name scribbled on the outhouse wall.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:04, Sun 04 Apr 2021.

The elven woodsman, adds,

"She can't be hurt by poison...but dammit, I can". and he steps back and tears off his gloves which have started to smoke having torn the arrows out of her.

"Yes, they prefer ladies, come up here and try to comfort her, she is dying...." He leans back onto the unicorns bleeding wounds with his bare hands, but has tears in his eyes.

Blushing furiously and trying to avoid Delta's eye in particular Vala moved forward. Sitting down her legs crossed under her the tall warriors stroked the unicorn's head with surprising gentleness.

Tanyl maintains an alert vigil, convinced that the person who perpetrated this deed may reappear at any moment.

Having no magic too sooth the dying creature's pain, Delta sits down a short distance away on the grass, and pulls out her lute.

She strums a soothing but melancholy tune, opting for a minor key to capture the sense of desolation she is feeling him her heart.

She keens along, crooning an assortment of mourning tunes in a variety of tongues, all of burrowing animals, creatures of the woodlands, letting all within range know of the tragic murder that had happened in their midst.

Out of her pocket, her little rat friend pokes her head, sniffing at the air, then joining in with muted squeaks...

The unicorn does calm when Vala lays her hands on it, it takes a deep breath and ceases to struggle as much.  When Delta begins playing it further calms.  Almost seeming to sleep.


As Delta finishes her last song, the wounds on the unicorn cease to bleed, and the skin knits together.  The unicorn whinnies slightly before actually falling asleep.  Its breathing is deep and normal, it is just resting.

Matthias' mouth hangs wide open when he notices the unicorn colt drift off to sleep. Then, the cleric's head swings over to take in Delta, who had been sitting nearby strumming her lute.

"What was that song you just played?" he whispers just loud enough for the gnome to hear but, hopefully, not loud enough to wake the colt.

The young woodsman takes a deep breath and steps back.

"Thank you, I'm glad you are people of good character.  I am Kellen, a Ranger, well a Ranger in training anyhow.  There were rumors that the unicorns of this area were in danger and I was sent to verify.  Whoever did this, they will pay for their evil deeds"

Raised eyes and shoulders express Delta's ignorance to the question of Matthias. "It was just something I made up, but I'm pleases the Uni seemed soothed by the sound."

At Kellen's comments, Delta offers their own tale.

"We were asked to come out here at the behest of a young woman who was worried about one of the Sisters of Elhonna. She had a premonition of danger, and I can't help but think this foul attack was a part of her concerns."

She clearly wished to stroke the soft fur on the child-unicorn, but restrained herself. Her eyes were slightly damp from the sadness she had poured in to her song at what she had thought was the immanent death of the child.

"We should press onward, I think, and attempt to find their convent. Perhaps we can learn more about these vile poachers there. Can you ensure the creatures safety?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:56, Fri 09 Apr 2021.

Kellen nods,

"Yes, I will stay with the colt till it is awake and help it further if it needs it.  Thank you for your help and I wish you success in helping the Sisters and finding their convent.  These high plains and mountains are rugged, so I have no doubt it is well hidden.  If I can find those who did this, I will try to kill them for their evil deeds".

Tanyl relaxes, shrugs, and sheathes his weapons.

"Alrighty then; we continue?"

Sheathing her lute, Delta nods in agreement with Tanyl's suggestion. She gives Vala a brief, but tight hug (if allowed) and gives Matthias a glance to see if he has anything to add before they move on.

Matthias is still somewhat overwhelmed by their encounter with the wounded unicorn colt and has been mostly quiet and quite concerned with the wondrous magical beast's welfare. He thanks Kellen for his assistance, wishes him well, and agrees with his companions it is time to move on.

Before doing so, he turns to ask the ranger, "Should we need your services, where can we find you?"

Somewhat embarrassed Vala still consents to Delta's hug and even pets her shorter musical friend on the top of her head. "Makes a change from sword-fighting I have to admit..."

"If you find me out here in the wilds, I'm not much of a Ranger."

Kellen lays his back against the unicorn and prepares to rest until the colt awakens.

The party continues its slow climb, following the streams when they can, other times having to detour away from the water and mountain cliffs into the trees and plains to find a way up.  Throughout the day, they do see several beautiful waterfalls.   It is near the end of the day as they are forced once again away from the stream due to some steep cliffs, that they discover what looks like a real walking trail heading back towards the cliffs.  It is feint but has the distinct makings of a lightly used path.  Following it leads back to the base of the rocky cliffs, but this time, their are wide steps leading up.

ooc: map will be updated later today

Fighting the urge to check behind the water in every waterfall, Delta quietly travels along with the others, but her mind is back with the baby unicorn, and wondering if her song had indeed helped it heal, as Matthias seemed to imply. Was it possible? It was a nice though...

Following the wide stairs they cut through the cliff a short ways.  As you move forwards, you can hear rushing water, at one point you cross over a very narrow channel and you can hear the fast rushing of water below.   The stairs continue and then turn right and continue upward. It is here that the left side falls away into an open channel of rushing water some 30 feet below the stairs.  It is quite loud and you cannot even hear each other to speak.

At the top, the stone opens into a wide platform some 30 feet across, with carved stonework and a large wooden doorway, it appears the door is cracked open, in fact, the wood is splintered in places as if it was torn open by some great force.

Stopping short, Delta tugs on Vala's arm, and gestures to the door, though it is plain for all to see. What could have done such damage to the door? She feared they would soon discover the answer to that question...

Opening the damaged door just enough to peek inside reveals a wide entry hall.  There are steps at the far end that lead up to another set of large wood doors, there is also a narrow corridor that leads off to the right.  The hallway has several female statues that have their hands cupped in front of them, from these hands, light casts forth lighting the whole hallway.

The noise from the rushing water behind is still deafening but inside, you see and hear nothing alarming.

ooc: maps updated

Matthias peers into the  wide entry hall and comments, mostly to settle his nerves, "Odd that we have not seen anyone about on the way here."

Of course, it wasn't so odd considering what initially prompted their visit and their recent encounter with the unicorn colt and ranger.

"Go careful," the young man says, unnecessarily, while ensuring his mace was still within easy reach. It is.

OOC: Do we see signs of recent traffic through here? Is there dust on the floor, etc. or does the place seem well kept?

The entry hall is pretty clean and clear, from what you can see from the doorway.

Tanyl bends his ear in an attempt to detect any noises.  Regardless of the results, he silently ventures in .. .

Drawing her blade, Delta follows Tanyl in, going wide to the left...

Deeper into the entryway, away from the noise of the water, Tanyl hears nothing moving.  Looking down the narrow passage to the right, he can see at its end, a room, that is also well lit and based in the small sliver he can witness, it is possibly a library or study.  The two large doors at the far end of the hall are closed but do not appear locked.

Pondering idly if there were a spell that would drowned out just one sound, like that of the waterfall, Delta chitters out quietly in the language of the rats, to see if any of that kind might be around in the room. Her little friend joins in from her pouch.

Tanyl knows (or at least suspects) Delta's purpose, but creeps quietly toward the lit room to the right.

Despite the tension, creeping down the narrow hall, Tanyl and Delta find the large room to be a library of sorts.  Quiet and empty.  Certainly many of the walls are covered with bookshelves. It is not sacked, but there are dozens of books pulled from shelves and tossed to the floor.  There are tables and chairs and a few of them are knocked over.  The room is well lit, and mostly intact.  There are religious overtones, clearly this is the right place, a few tapestries on the wall have unicorns on them, but all is quiet here.

Naturally tidy, Delta stands up a chair, then glances at a book before returning it to the shelf. (Is the title in a language she can read?)

"This looks odd," she said in low tones. "I don't see any blood, but certainly something unpleasant happened here."

She glances under the desk, then looks at a few more books before placing them on the shelves.

"Do you think one of these books triggers a secret door or something? Seems off to only toss about a few of them."

She guessed her efforts to talk to the local rodents failed, but she knew it was a long shot at best.

Matthias stands near the entrance with Vala, eagerly awaiting Tanyl and Delta's report. Something about this seemed horribly wrong. There was likely something to the young woman in the tavern's sisterly suspicion.

Commenting to Vala, "Doesn't feel right."

"We have more to explore; the double doors off the entry area.  We should do that, lest we get caught here by intruders."

"Should we check for other exits from this room first? Maybe behind the tapestries?"

Tanyl sighs, presumes (or hopes) that Delta has a specific suspicion, and puts his skills to work looking for secret or concealed doors.

As Tanyl and Delta investigate the library, Matthias and Vala are by the main the door. Now closed to block out the noise.  It isn't long before they notice a slit of light on the large doorsn at the far end of the entry hall, followed by a head looking around and then a large body, and then two more. From the distance, they are over seven feet tall, slightly bow legged, and carrying large clubs with spikes on the end.  Hairy, with large ears, they seem to to have heard something....and are headed for the library.

"Those don't look like Sisters of Ehlonna..." Matthias whispers to Vala while gripping his mace and slowly reaching for the shield slung over his back.

OOC: Does it look like they are headed the direction Delta and Tanyl went to investigate and can Matthias tell whether the three large humanoids have noticed us yet?

With the door shut, Matthias and Vala are in the shadows of the lighted hall, the three creatures do not see them, and they seem to be headed down the hallway towards where Tanyl and Delta went exploring.

Matthias gestures to Vala, indicating the pair should remain unseen and unheard until they get a better look at the incoming humanoids. As best as he is able, he remains still and within the shadows. He has mace and shield ready for employment, if it becomes necessary.

OOC: I guess the goal is to allow the humanoids to turn the corner and head toward the library and then come up behind them for a surprise attack, in the event they appear to be hostile toward our companions.

Unaware of what is transpiring outside the library, Tanyl continues attending to his task.

Delta cleans up a bit and finds most of the books seem to be in languages she can read.  Typical things that you'd find in a library of the learned, literature, studies, history, more history with a focus on women than she's used to seeing.  Tanyl can't find a secret door, but there is something not right about the room, his instincts are honing in on something when he hears footsteps coming down the corridor, and not ones he recognizes.

Vala and Matthias stand very still at the entrance, holding their breathes, when one by one the creatures turn down the narrow corridor towards the library.  For just a moment, they cross a patch of light....bugbears!

Assuming Delta also hears the approaching footsteps, Delta will step behind a chair in such a way as to hide herself a bit from anyone coming in thru the doorway.

Tanyl draws his sword and dagger and positions himself where he can (hopefully) surprise someone from behind if they should enter.

The first two bugbears lumber into the library, looking around and sniffing the air, the third has yet to enter but they will spot Delta or Tanyl soon, you have a moment to act before they do.

ooc: you have surprise, for the moment

Map has been updated

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:11, Wed 21 Apr 2021.

With the hand hidden behind the chair, Delta swirls her hand in a circle...

"Now guys!"

Popping up from behind the desk are three stoutly armored men with heavy crossbows, pointed right at the bugbears. The tips of the bolts glisten as if tipped in poison, green and nasty.

"Drop your weapons!" Delta calls out...

Matthias gestures to Vala and then rushes forth from the shadows, mace drawn, to intercept the trailing bugbear. His heart is pounding so hard he does not even hear Delta call out her warning. The cleric swings his mace as hard as he can and connects with the back of the bugbear's head. The sound is something akin to a piece of wood snapping in two. Quite a heavy blow indeed!

"Delta! Tanyl! Heads up! Bugbears coming your way!" he shouts, once he has given up his position.

OOC: Crit hit on a surprise attack! Ignore damage roll. Max damage = 8


18:28, Today: Matthias rolled 21,5 using d20+1,d6+2 with rolls of 20,3.  Attack vs Bugbear.

LOL!!!

Tanyl springs out and strikes an accurate, but wimpy blow with this sword.


19:52, Today: Tanyl Miaras rolled 20,1 using d20+5,d12.  sword.

(Doubled, so it's 2 -- hence my laughter.)

He swings his left hand around almost simultaneously, burying the dagger in the bugbear's back (maybe).


19:53, Today: Tanyl Miaras rolled 14,3 using d20-2,d3.  dagger.

6 if it hits.

Vala follows Matthias, her hand and a half sword carving through the air - and hopefully through the bugbear! The tall woman's first strike goes wide in her enthusiasm but her second shows more promise.

---

OOC:
11:39, Today: Vala rolled 12 using 2d8+3.  Damage.

01:16, Today: Vala rolled 17 using 1d20+1.  Attack with the Starblade #2.

01:16, Today: Vala rolled 6 using 1d20+1.  Attack with the Starblade #1.

Delta cast a minor illusion that seems to draw the attention of the first of the two bugbears that enter the room.  It looks puzzled for a moment, as the second one enters it too looks over the strange appearance of three armed me.  Just then, with total surprise, Tanyl stabs one of them in the back, sadly the wound is not deep. With the attack, they seem to shake off the illusion.

Even then, you hear Matthias call out a warning as he smashes the third bugbear over the head, making is dizzy, and though the passage is narrow, Vala reaches forward with her sword and impales the dizzy bugbear, the two hits combining to kill it in its tracks.

The other two raise their spiked clubs and attack, saying  "Eh, that's not very nice!".

The injured bugbear misses Tanyl but the other one moves forward and hits a glancing blow off of Delta's armor (3hps damage).



Bugbears:  AC: 5   HP's   dead/x   -2/x   /x

PC       Class        Level    HP     AC   THAC6

Vala     Fighter         2     16     2      14
Tanyl    Mage/Theif     1/2    9      4      15
Delta    Fghtr/Illnst   2/1    13/11  2      14
Matthias Cleric          2     17     6      14   

"Ouch!"

Delta stabbed at the Bugbear with her sword, but misses miserably.

11:52, Today: Delta rolled 8 using 1d20 ((8)).

Matthias steps over the bugbear he and Vala just overcame and rushes down the corridor toward the enemy engaged with Delta. Unfortunately, the cleric is unable to effectively wield his mace in these tight confines.


11:45, Today: Matthias rolled 7,3 using d20+1,d6+2.  attack.

Tanyl slashes at the bugbear's giant frame, cutting a serious diagonal gash down its chest.  For good measure, he follows up by thrusting his dagger at the creature.

13:12, Today: Tanyl Miaras rolled 21,11 using d20+1,d12.  Attack (sword).
(Natural 20, so 12 damage)

13:12, Today: Tanyl Miaras rolled 13,2 using d20-2,d3.  Attack (Dagger).



OOC: Also, just want to make sure -- last round, did my dagger miss?

Delta, Vala, and Matthias all attack but cannot damage the large bugbears.  Tanyl however delivers a mighty blow, and is surprised the creature does not fall.   The bugbear swings back but Tanyl's hit throws off its aim.  The other bugbear swings and hits Vala, leaving a deep bruise. (5hps damage)





Bugbears:  AC: 5   HP's   dead/x   -14/x   /x

PC       Class        Level    HP     AC   THAC6

Vala     Fighter         2     16/11  2      14
Tanyl    Mage/Theif     1/2    9      4      15
Delta    Fghtr/Illnst   2/1    13/11  2      14
Matthias Cleric          2     17     6      14   

In reply to DM Bard (msg # 79):

Delta tries some fancy footwork, which aids in her aim apparently, as she delivers a minor blow. She can only hope it also helps hinder her foe's.



12:45, Today: Delta rolled 2 using 1d6.  damage, sword.

12:45, Today: Delta rolled 17 using 1d20.  swing short sword.

Perhaps fueled by the fear of what will happen if the bugbear's meaty paws make contact with him, Tanyl furiously stabs his sword into the creature's neck.

He tries to poke the bugbear in the stomach with his dagger, but can't quite pull it off.




18:29, Today: Tanyl Miaras rolled 21,4 using d20+1,d12.  sword (16 to hit).

Natural 20, so 12!



18:31, Today: Tanyl Miaras rolled 9,3 using d20-2,d3.  Dagger (16 to hit).

The final bugbear had been a bit more stubborn to take down than its compatriots. Matthias readjusts his grip and swings for the monster's kneecaps, taking advantage of Tanyl's two handed attack and the bugbear's subsequent unsuccessful attempt at parrying the high attack.

OOC: Hit for 6 points of damage


08:36, Today: Matthias rolled 15,6 using d20+1,d6+2 ((14,4)).

Delta and Tanyl both stab and slash the injured bugbear in front of them, cutting it down dead.  Vala and Matthias both land blows on their bugbear, staggering it but it responds with a rather feeble glancing blow off Tanyl (1hp).

Things look decidedly in favor of the adventurers!



Bugbears:  AC: 5   HP's   dead/x   dead/x   -15/x

PC       Class        Level    HP     AC   THAC6

Vala     Fighter         2     16/11  2      14
Tanyl    Mage/Theif     1/2    9/8    4      15
Delta    Fghtr/Illnst   2/1    13/11  2      14
Matthias Cleric          2     17     6      14   

Uncertain if it was wise to try and question their foe, or even if such a thing were possible, Delta opts to slash ahead, so to speak, and attempt to aid the others in finishing the beastie off.

With so many foes for the bugbear to deal with, Delta finds success she credits to not being seen, and thrusts into the meaty creatures flesh!

15:17, Today: Delta rolled 3 using 1d6.  damage.

15:17, Today: Delta rolled 19 using 1d20.  swing short sword.

Delta's last hit was just too much for the already injured bugbear, and it collapses to the ground.  The battle has ended.

Bloody blade in hand, Deltas stands over the body, stunned. She hadn't really considered herself more than a distraction on the battlefield. Heck, her last distraction hadn't even seemed to have slowed the enemy down a bit.

Staring at her blade, her mind raced, as she re-evaluated her place in things, but there was simply too much to consider right now. Such thoughts would have to wait until (if) they got home to StormHaven.

"Anyone think searching these is worthwhile?"

"You can if you want; we aren't done here.  Something about this room . . . it's not quite right.  I was on the verge of figuring it out when our visitors arrived . . . "

Tanyl's voice trails off as he returns to his "pre-bugbear" task.  He was so close before . . .

"Should you two return to your guard post, it seemed to work well this time. You were awesome striking them by surprise just then."

She wipes off her sword on bugbear hide, and sheaths it.

"or do you want to wait with us? Vala, could you... ugh, help me... (grunt) here?"

Delta struggles to move the bodies out of the doorway.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 05:49, Wed 28 Apr 2021.

"A quick search perhaps," Matthias says. "But, we need to find out what happened to the sisters," he adds with a tone of immediacy and deep concern.

The young cleric then looks back to where he and Vala had taken up position as rear guard and nods in agreement with Delta's suggestion. "Please. Let's be quick about this."

Matthias will return to the shadows near the entrance, assuming Tanyl does not suddenly discover something to keep Matthias' attention rooted to the library.

Tanyl moves back to the western edge of the south facing wall where something looked off to him earlier and takes a closer look.  After a few moments, he finds a stone that seems out of place, and pushing it here's a light click and the door begins to slide to the left behind the bookcase, fresh damp air rushes towards him as well as the sounds of water, the door has only opened a few feet when it suddenly stops and a woman's voice says,

"Who is there?"

Tanyl anticipates that anyone hiding might be prepared lest they be found by the intruders -- and he doesn't want to fall victim to such preparations.

"Sister?  We've come to provide aid."

"Who is we, and is all the temple freed of the invaders?"

Perking up at the sound of the voice, Delta is glad they pushed on and searched the room a little more. She trusts Tanyl to do the talking though, and she continues to search the bugbears.

OOC Are any parts of such a creature known to be edible?

"We are four who came from Stormhaven, and I doubt you know us.  My name is Tanyl, for what it's worth.  But we were asked to come by the sister of one of your members.  Her name is Minnow.

As for the invaders: we don't know.  We've dispatched three, but we found you relatively quickly and have not been through the entire place.  Do you know how many there are are, or where they might be holed up?"

At the mention of Minnow, there are hushed whispering beyond but the voice close to the door,

"We cannot risk losing our place here, Elhonna go with you but leave and do not return here unless the Temple is completely safe".

With that, the door slams shut and the sound some locking being done is heard.

Tanyl turns to the others. "Well, that's gratitude.  I guess."

He doesn't shout it, but he says it loud enough that maybe it's heard inside the panic room.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:40, Thu 29 Apr 2021.

Each of the bugbears has two large sliver coins simply decorated with an X on them, probably made from melting other items down.

In reply to DM Bard (msg # 97):

With a sigh, Delta opts not to carve up the bodies, though he takes the two coins, and tosses on the Matthias for examination.

He wonders if Vala would like the ears or something as a trophy, but she opts against it, figuring she would get them herself, and she didn't want to offend her.

Matthias had been paying attention to Tanyl's through-the-door conversation and doesn't notice that Delta has thrown an object his way until the last moment. He awkwardly flinches and then snatches the coin at the last minute, once he realizes it is just a coin.

Trying to play off the clumsy exchange, he turns the coin over in his hand and searches his memory for any recollection of the symbol's meaning. In truth, he is not thinking of the coin at all. He is thinking of the sisters and their peril.

He absent-mindedly pockets the coin and addresses his companions.

"They're scared," he says simply, "and don't know us from Erathis," driving the point home with a common idiom.

"Vala, Tanyl, lend a hand, let's remove these brutes from the monastery and then drive out any others." Matthias means to deposit the corpses outside the monastery, so as to not further defile the holy house of Ehlonna, and then continue their exploration of the monastery.

Vala notices Delta's odd interest in the Bugbears and wonders if she should question her friend's delicious food a little more in the future or if ignorance would be bliss.

"I suppose they are scared but they aren't making this job any easier," she groused, pulling one of the goblinoids by it's legs.

"I say we clear the place of the living invaders, so they don't come upon us with our hands full of their dead comrades."

With a shrug Delta pockets her coin. "At least the waterfall is close, we can toss them down there."

The next half an hour passes very quickly.  First, the bodies are removed from the Monastery. Second, a slow and careful exploration of the rest of the monastery takes place.  The double doors at the end of the entry are unlocked, and beyond is a large temple with a statue of Elhonna as the main feature.   To the south of the temple, another set of double doors stand slightly open.  Checking it out, is a large living quarters, with both private and semi private sleeping areas for eight people.   The room also has a kitchen type area, a communal table with many chairs, and is decorated with things from nature, pine cones woven into designs, dried flowers, and the like.  It not destroyed, but certainly a bit of mess and still smells of bugbears though none are present.  A careful search shows that no one else is in the monastery, the immediate threat is gone.

Returning to the library, and reporting such, leads to the door being opened and you find through it a beautiful grassy alcove with another statue of Elhonna in the center of the grassy glade.  A stream of water falls from one of the walls, follows a stream through the glade, and then cascades in a waterfall from the southern end.

There are six women, and three unicorns here.  They have clearly been camping here for some weeks.

The eldest, speaks, "Elhonna bless you" even as they head back into the library and away from the sound of the falls.

ooc: Monastery Map is Updated

In reply to DM Bard (msg # 103):

Stunned and amazing at the glade inside what she expected to be a small room, Delta spins around looks up at the wonder around here. (And though she doesn't say anything, it is in her nature to wonder if this is some sort of an illusion, and she looks for any mistakes in shading or shadow that would give such a thing away)

As they head out in to the temple, she speaks.

"Ummm... on our way here we found a baby Unicorn, that was hurt. Poachers. A ranger came along, and between us I think we made it better, but we though you should know, in case, you know, the parents are here."

She paused, uncertain for a moment, then continued.

"Is there a Guppy... er, a Sister Guppy here?"

Vala looked a little lost, her brow furrowed with uncharacteristic thought as she tries to grasp the odd room - that and fight the urge to pet one of the unicorns. Warrioress or no they where very pretty.

The smallest of the acolytes walks to Delta and pulls back her hood.

No introductions are necessary.  Though a cropped hair, the smallish woman is truly the twin of Minnow.  She leans over and hugs Delta for a moment before speaking.  When she does, its with his sisters voice exactly.

She has tears in her eyes, "You saved the colt?  What about Bren, and Rachil,  they went out to warn the rest of the herd, any sign of them?".

Returning the hug, because, heck, Delta loves to hug, the young gnome shook her head in the negative.

"I'm sorry, we have no knowledge of Bren or Rachil, good or bad. We found no one else. However I would ask that you consider writing a letter to your sister before we leave, and we can deliver it for you."

She was suddenly feeling a bit guilty for having wanted more money for helping these people, an she was glad the others talked her in to coming along.

"Once we are sure this place is secure, maybe we can go look for them?"

She glanced at the others.

Tanyl shrugs, demonstrating his indifference.

He isn't so concerned about the lack of monetary rewards; he is, however, still a bit miffed by the apparent lack of gratitude from those the party rescued.

Matthias looks to his companions, "I did not see any other sisters when we searched the monastery. Is it possible they could have been abducted?" He says this in a lower tone. His face pales at the thought of what the big, hairy brutes might do to the sisters.

Turning back to the sisters, "We defeated three monsters. Do you know if there were more than three?"

Matthias suggests to his companions that perhaps they can look for tracks or any evidence of the bugbears leaving the monastery. If only the ranger were here, he laments.

The elder woman who first spoke to Tanyl, adds,

"Forgive my manners, I am Hana, the Abbey of this humble monastery.  I'm afraid we don't know the full number of those who broke in here.   Elhonna teaches us that all of creation is blessed, and we try to live lives of non violence.  Clearly though, without your help, we would have been in serious trouble.  I thank you for risking your lives to help us.

The creatures came to our doors twice before and threatened us, saying we needed to move on, that we were disturbing their own home, spoiling their water supply.  We kept our doors shut and tried to reason with them.  We do pray outside and bless the water, apparently that offended their leader.  The second time they failed to get in our doors, they said they were going to get their leader, The Mighty Tegroth they called him and that we'd be in big trouble.  We were worried enough that we began gathering our unicorn friends here to protect them.

Turns out, it was not an idle threat, when they came back the next week, something just ripped our doors off their hinges.   We retreated to our outdoor sanctuary and hid there.  All except Bren and Rachil, they were still out trying to find the other two unicorns.  I fear for their lives now, knowing you've told us.   You say you helped a unicorn, if it lives, it may know what became of them".

Matthias listens Abbess Hana relate what she knows and nods at the appropriate moments, to encourage her to be as forthcoming as possible. Whe she has finished, he responds to his companions, "We need to find the ranger with all due haste!"

Of course, the ranger was incredibly secretive about his whereabouts, but he was their only lead.

Hana looks around, taking in the mess, blood, tossed books, and injuries on some of the group,

"Daughters, heal them, clean our home, busy yourselves....and bring me one of the creation stones...".

This last is met by a mix of stunned silence, gasps, and even a whispered prayer or two.

Quickly though the women break into movement, first healing all the injuries to those wounded, others begins cleaning, washing blood from the floors, putting books back on shelves.

One returns carrying a clay stone, the size of a small chicken egg and hands it to Abbey.

She takes it and quickly with two quick twists breaks into four nearly equal pieces and hands a part to each of you.

"For what you've done, and what I feel you are going to do, we have little wealth to offer you, but this is a Creation Stone of Elhonna.  If you all agree the time is right and join it together once again, and speak Elhonna's name, the power of creation will be yours for a moment. It will be fleeting and only work once, but you hold the power to restore a life that was lost, use it wisely".

Awe fills Delta's face as she receives her gift. A powerful token indeed! She carefully places it in a pouch other than the one with her pet in it. She does, however, let the rat  out to sit on her shoulder to get some fresh air, as she feels these are people who would not be offended by the rodents presence.

"It seems like anything big enough to tear your massive doors open that way would be easy to find. What kind of creature would be offended by blessing their water though? Most curious."

She rolled the name Tegroth around in her mind, and tried to get a feel for the language. It had to be big enough to boss around bug-bears. She feared it might be some sort of giant.

Vala tries her best to look pleased at getting a rock as payment for their services. She slips it into her pack for safekeeping.

Still maybe this 'Mighty Tegroth' had some real (gold!) treasure. It was a happy thought...

"This is most generous, Abbess," Matthias says in his humblest tone. "I cannot speak for my companions, but know that I will do what I can to find out what has become of Bren and Rachil."

Matthias is still stunned by the Abbess' blessing, but he begs a moment to consult with his companions. Once he has their ears, he suggests they do their best to try to locate the ranger. "The ranger may be able to help us find the missing sisters," he reasons.

"If you think so Matthias, I will follow. We don't really have the resources to track anyone ourselves."

Leaving the Sisters of Elhonna as they begin to clean and repair their Monastery, you venture back the way you came in search of the ranger or any evidence of the missing sisters.  Night has fallen and working your way down the cliffs wet with the roaring mist from the stream is no easy task.   Once or twice, a slight slip sends your heart racing but eventually you cross the narrow rock bridge and once again enter into the maze of high mountain glens.  It take awhile to find your way back to where you left the ranger and the unicorn but as you approach what you are certain is the open space you found them, you can see a small fire.

Approaching with caution, you find Kellen sitting by a fire, without looking up, he waves you to join him.

"I thought you'd back, did you find what you were looking for?  I think I did."

"We did, indeed we did," Delta replied, looking about for the baby unicorn.

Taking off her pack, she sat down by the fire, and broke out her cooking gear.

"There were some bugbears there, but we cleaned the place out. Apparently one 'Mighty Tegroth' was offended by the good sisters. We are concerned he might try again, and hoped we might persuade him against it, I think. Is that our plan?"

She glanced at the others as she pulled some fresh rabbit out of her bag, a rabbit none of the others saw her collect. It had been skinned though, and was ready for cooking. After releasing her rat-friend from the pouch, she set to the task.

"We are also looking for two missing sisters, Bren, and Rachil. We had hopes you might help us find them."

The rat sniffed at the ranger, curiously.

"May I?" she asked, asking if she might put her now ready to go pot over the fire.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:13, Wed 05 May 2021.

Kellen nods at the fire with Delta's request to cook on it.

"Seems we'll be travelling together for a bit.  I didn't get names, but our information is similar.  The unicorn, which woke up after a few hours, spry and healthy, thank you all for your help in that, told me a lot which you've confirmed.   About a season ago, a band of ruffians, thieves, and whatnot discovered an old abandoned temple about a mile down the river. They've been seen sending groups out, and coming back laden with goods. Probably raiding towns, attacking caravans, that sort of thing.  They have some leader that they all look to, I didn't get the name, but sounds like its Tegroth.  That name is known to me, he's a bugbear lordling, big and nasty and tough, but smart too.   The unicorn said there were humans, and gnolls seen with them as well working with them, and that they abducted two women who were trying to protect the unicorn. I'm guessing it the same ones you are looking for.  Before the little unicorn left, it told me right where to find this temple, and even that it has a back entrance hidden amongst the rocks.  Delightful creatures those unicorns."

"It's a rumor mind you, but Tegroth is said to be very fond of magic swords, and has tried for years to master the art of making them.."

"Any idea how many people are Tegroth's merry band?"

Kellen shrugs, "A few less than there were, given what you've already done.  I might get some idea once we are closer to them by the tracks, but a wild guess is less than twenty..five.."

The math is obvious.

"More than we can handle in a frontal assault, then.  Given you were heading that way before re-encountering us, what plan did you have?"

Stirring, and humming and sprinkling the stew with spices or a handful of chopped vegetables, Delta hummed a little tune whose lyrics would have made her mother blush, and listened to the conversation. She slipped her pet a bit of cheese, and a few raisins.

"It would be useful if we could find a way to make some of them kill each other," Delta mused, considering what she might be able to do, if anything, with her magics.

Matthias had been listening to the conversation and eventually adds, "If it is true what you say, Kellen, 20 or more bugbears in this band, Tanyl is exactly right. It is too many for us to go in without a plan."

The cleric rests his left foot on a nearby rock while rubbing his chin. "Kellen, Tanyl, and Delta, assuming we can find the bugbears' lair, do you think you could scout it out, unseen and unheard of course, while Vala and I remain a short distance behind, so we have a better idea of what we are facing?"

Matthias sighs and at a loss adds, "Or, I don't know, maybe make some sort of trap or distraction, like Delta suggests, to split their numbers?"

"I wonder if any of them are slaves, or conscripts?" Tanyl says hopefully, as he looks to Kellen for an answer (as if he has one).

"Maybe that's something we can learn from scouting out the place," Tanyl adds, before turning to Matthias "and yes, I think scouting is something we can easily accomplish."

"Scouting isn't my forte, though I think I could try and gain information from any local rodents, Bugbears hardly seem to the type to be good housekeepers."

Stirring the stew, Delta takes a taste, smacking her lips, and tilting her head in though. After a moment she tosses in a dew more spices and returns to stirring.

"If I could get one or two of them alone, I might be able to persuade one of them that he is being wronged, or cheated, and fire him up enough to go in and start a ruckus."

She thought hack to the last temple they had ventured to, and remember Tanyl's abilities as well.

"I reckon Tanyl might have a chance at doing the same?"

It occurred to her that all of their jobs so far seemed to be related to temples, or some other holy area. How odd.

Kellen yawns, and tosses a few extra logs into the fire,

"Good strategies, keep them up, the stew smells great but I need to sleep to be ready to move on the den.  Best time to scout will be an hour before dawn,  so we need to move out in about four hours, I'll wake any one up that wants to go,  gonna be hard to sleep, tomorrow might be the most fun day of our lives, I am so excited....good dreams...".

Despite his words the ranger seems to drift off to sleep in minutes.

In reply to Kellen (msg # 128):

Delta portions out the stew, and gobbles it down. She leaves the dirty dishes out, and heads to her bedroll.

"I don't think I'm much of a scout, wake me up when you get back."

Vala eagerly accepted Kellen's stew in his stead. As always Delta had excelled herself and the warrioress happily ate her fill.

"I have a magic sword," she says thoughtfully between mouthfuls. "If Tergoth has some way of knowing that maybe we could lure him out with me as bait and ambush the ambushers?"

"I was thinking of a similar bait idea, with me as bait -- claiming to be an elven smith.  I doubt he's had much interaction with elves, other than to kill them, so he might be fooled.  But beyond using that ruse to gain entry, I don't know what to do at that point.  And the plan assumes he doesn't chain me up, or kill me on sight.

So, while it's my thought, I'm not keen on it at the moment."

"I'd rather not offer anyone up for bait, if it can be avoided," Matthias puts in. He further explains he believes the wisest course is to first find the lair and then scout it out a bit before coming up with a risky gambit.

"I am sure the gods will provide a way, when the time is right," the cleric offers. "Let's get some rest for now," he says while trying to force himself to do so. He doesn't feel great about leaving those sisters to the mercy of brutish bugbears, but their ranger seemed intent on going to sleep. He dares not think what horror the sisters must be enduring at this very moment.

Restless, he eventually gets up and offers prayers and sacrifice to Ehlonna for their safety. After burning aromatic incense in his censer, the cleric returns to his bedroll and lays silently for some time, his mind racing.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:42, Tue 11 May 2021.

The party discusses strategies, sets a watch and settles in. Well before dawn, Kellen slips from the camp without so much as a word.

By dawn, with the smell of Delta's usual creative and delicious breakfast just cooking he returns.  He's soaking wet, but unharmed.

"The good news is that there is an easy way in to their lair.  Some tunnels easily accessible just below the falls.  They are moist, and natural caves, but they lead to a real door.  No guards but lots of tracks, they come and go that way themselves on a regular basis, so we could get in, but can't hide their if we need to rest."

"The old entrance is behind the falls itself, a big sturdy and locked door.  Getting there is tough, no one in heavy armor could likely manage it without a danger tumble into the rocks below.  But the cave behind the falls is not used, no recent tracks.  So if we fought our way through far enough, we might be able to open it from within and use that space to rest up.  It's wet and cold and loud as hell, but i'm not sure they would look there for us"

In reply to DM Bard (msg # 133):

Dishing up the food, Delta offers an extra large share to Kellen, as he had started working so much earlier than the rest.

"Sounds like the caves would make a good ambush point, do we want to thin the herd first? Or would that risk warning them of our presence."

She offers a few grapes to her pet.

"That is far better than any of the ideas we've had 'til now.  I'm for it."

"Let's make our way closer to the lair, rest up the rest of the day, and enter the caves just after midnight if we suspect them to be drinkers.   We don't want to wait too long though, they are bound to be expecting to hear from the bugbears you killed at the Monastery sooner or later"

Tanyl nods.  "Good idea."

Washing up her pots and pans, Delta agrees that the idea is sound.

I have opened a new thread, please begin posting in Chapter six.