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| Image by SplitShire from Pixabay |
The characters go down to the lakeside to see if the Komtess has tried to hire a boat to take her north.
QUESTION - Has anyone at the lakeside seen the Komtess and her maid? roll d8 = 3 No(roll on table 2)
Table 2 roll d8 = 7 If
No one at the lakeside has seen the Komtess. The Lakeside is tranquil for a market day, if the Komtess and her maid had been here they would have been noticed as there is no one from outside the village trading here today. Two strangers, particular a young girl and a young woman looking to hire a boat to take them further up river, would have been remembered by someone.
With no information to be found at the lakeside about the Komtess the characters head back into the village. Knowing that to undertake the journey to the Ruined City, the Komtess would need some provisions, it appeared probable that one or more of the stall holders would have knowledge of the Komtess.
QUESTION - Do any of the stall holders have any information about the Komtess and her maid? roll d8 = 1 No (+1 intervention point, now at 2 Intervention points)
Once again, the characters have no luck, no one seems to have seen the Komtess, it is strange that not a single boater or trader has seen or heard anything about Arna and her maid.
The last trader they approach has numerous people at his stall yet it is empty apart for a single glass orb. Many people are inquiring about the orb, all are being turned away.
The trader, an elderly man, who introduces himself as Castin of Woodbury, he is certain that no young girl with a young woman has approached his stall, but he has been busy and could be mistaken.
The characters are curious about the glass orb which Castin has on his stall.
I roll 1d8 to see which character if any ask about the orb
1= Nydia, 2 = Canaid, 3 = Wren, 4 = Pedlar, 5= Ulfina, 6= Decimus, 7= No one, 8= re-roll (+1 intervention point).
Roll d8 =1.
Nydia finds her eyes drawn to the orb, she asks Castin what the orb is and if it is for sale. Castin says “The orb is not for sale, but it is time for me to part with it. The real question is, are you the ones the orb waits for?”
Nydia asks how she would know and Castin replies "Ask the orb, if you are the one it waits for it will tell you"
Nydia does as Castin suggests and the orb pulsates with a soft glow and an image of Nydia forms inside it.
Nydia loses 1 luck point and must roll d20 to check for dark and dangerous magic effect (roll1 or 2 an effect takes place). Roll = 4, no effect.
Castin hand the orb to Nydia telling her "the orb is yours for now, take it, you can ask it any question you like and it will answer truthfully, be waned, it will only answer thrice then it will seek a new owner"
Nydia takes the orb and places it in her backpack and the party move on from the stall, Castin packs up and heads home.
The party is no further forward in their search for information on the missing Arna and Batana. The only explanations are that they are still in the White Arrow, which seems unlikely, or they have set out on foot through the Golden Coppice towards the Lough of Doom.
QUESTION - Has Ulfina checked that the Komtess is not still at the White Arrow? Roll d8 = 4 No(and)
Ulfina did not look around the White Arrow Tavern to see if she could find the Komtess and it was only the tavern housekeeper who had seen Arna and her maid Batana leaving.
The adventures decide to head back to the White Arrow Tavern to question the housekeeper further.
QUESTION - Is the housekeeper sure she saw Arna and her maid leave the tavern? Roll D8= 8 Yes (+1 intervention point, now at 3 intervention points)
QUESTION - Was anyone else with them? Roll d8 = 7 Yes (But).
The housekeeper is certain she saw Arna and her maid leave by the front entrance to the tavern. She also saw a third person, another woman, standing just outside the door but it was not someone she had seen staying in the tavern. She is sure that the three went off together.
Ulfina seems to become distraught again. She believes the third person could only be Arnas aunt, Cataline. If true, the young Komtess is once again in grave danger and must be found.
Nydia removes the orb from her backpack, knowing that the orb must answer her questions truthfully, she simply looks into the orb and asks "Where is Arna, the Komtess of Writa and her maid?"
Once again, the orb pulsates with a soft glow and an image of the Komtess, Batana and a third woman walking down a path through the Golden Coppices forms inside the magical item.
Decimus looks at the image, "I know where they are, they must be heading to the Lough of Doom along the old path through the Coppice. The way is said to be haunted by the dead of an ancient race"
Pedlar thumps Decimus on the shoulder, "you best show us the way then, don't just stand there lad, let us be on our way"
Decimus leads the party into the Golden Coppice's and they pick up an old path through the woods. Decimus tells the party that this path is rarely used and no one can remember why it is here. The path is becoming overgrown with ferns and small woodland floor plants.
Wren the ranger notices that some of the plants along the path have been damaged by more than one animal passing this way, not all of which were human. The orb in Nydias possession still shows an image of Arna and her maid plus one other walking through the coppice.
CHECK FOR ENCOUNTER - roll d8 = 5 Yes(And). Roll d20 on Forest Encounter table = 5 2d6 Urgot with an Urgozer (40% chance) camped near a pond AND they have trapped a Wolf.
I roll 2d6 to see how many Urgot there are and get 2, I check to see if there is a Urgozer (a spell casting Urgot) and roll 48 on d100, so there are just the two Urgot.
Urgot AC11, hd 1d8+4 (12, 12)
Attack Club 1d6+1 damage
S:13 D:13 C:16 I:7 P: 9 W:12 Ch:6
Luck: 5
Move: 30 ft
The Urgot have their attention on the wolf which is unconscious and they do not notice the party approching them on the path.
The party spot the Urgot from 150 feet away, Wren takes her longbow and aims an arrow at one Urgot. Needing 11+ to hit she rolls 9, but with attack bonus of 1 and dec bonus of 2 she hits the Urgot causing a lowly 2 damage.
Nydia moves forwards 30' to get in range with her light crossbow, while Decimus and Pedlar both move off the path and into the woods, silently moving towards the Urgot who are now alerted to the party.
Outnumbered 3 to 1, the Urgot make a wisdom check to see if they flee from the party, Rolling 7 for the injured one who runs from the scene, the second rolls 20, a great fail, it jumps up and runs head long towards the party waving its club.
Nydia fires her light crossbow at the raging monster, she rolls 14 and hits it causing 5hp damage.
Wren fires to but gets only a roll of 7 (10 with her +3 bonus), a miss.
The Urgot close the gap between itself and Nydia to 80 feet. Nydia can load another bolt into her crossbow and fires again, roll of 12, she hits for another 5 damage.
Decimus finds himself just 20 feet from the creature and he throws a dagger at the back of it, rolling 15, he hits causing 2 damage. The Urgot falls to the ground having take 13 hits. The second Urgot has disappeared into the woods.
Wren goes to the wolf, it is alive but badly hurt. She gives it some water and some of her meat ration and its enough to bring the wolf around. Wren tells the wolf to go back to its pack but the animal seems to have other ideas, as the party move off down the path the wolf falls into step beside Wren.
"Well" says Pedlar to no one in particular, "we do seem to be collection waifs and strays".
Reviewed by Wild Duck Models
on
September 11, 2022
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