Blood in the Woods

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About the Saga

The champions head to the Gnarley Forest to recover a soul stone, and find themselves battling for their lives against a band of orcs led by a brutish ogre.

Timeframe

Cast of Characters


Notable Quotes

"I’m not going over there – he could kill me in one shot!" – Manansi, referring to the ogre. "He could kill me with one shot too!" – Godfrey, standing next to the ogre.

What Has Come Before

The mystery of the Soul Stones deepens as the marked ones learn of another stone within the city, and venture into the Common Crypts to recover it.

The Saga

Harvester 16, 591

Learn that Angrin’s stone is getting further away, traveling north, and suspect that Rishkin took it after murdering Angrin. However, the contact was suddenly lost. During experimentation with stones, try switching them and discover a previous unknown affinity between each person and their corresponding stone.

After activating Durin’s stone on the 15th, they learn that another stone resides in a forest several days away. Godfrey activates his stone on the 16th, and detects a strong presence coming from the northwest.

After reporting in to his quarter guildmaster, Godfrey learns that the Thieves Guild has learned of the group’s adventure in the sewers and the crypt. Also learns that an associate of the quartermaster’s – a protégée of some note in the city – went missing in the crypts six months ago. The stone found on the corpse explains his special powers.

Meanwhile, Manansi goes to the Wizardry Guild. Learns of a letter from scribe Poris to Angrin containing basic information about the stones, and said he would send of a letter to a sage in the Bandit Kingdoms who was an expert on Flan magic. Durin buys a horse for the riderless Godfrey (causing the rogue to spend his remaining gold) and a war pony for himself

The group heads out through the Highway Gate, heads south on road. Pass many fellow travelers, guards, and inns. That night, find a good camp ground.

Harvester 18, 591

Arrive at Ford Keep after two days travel. Pay a copper each to get ferried across the Selintan River in search of the Gnarly Forest. Land becomes more rugged and wild as the group passes out of civilization.

As continue down path, party is ambushed by roguish individuals who rain arrows down on them from hiding places on either side of the road. Arrows hit almost every party member, sending blood splattering everywhere.

The party immediately splits up, with Hanros and Godfrey heading to the west, while Soloth and his mountain lion go charging off to the northeast, and the dwarf goes off toward opponents to the southeast.

Meanwhile, Manansi is left standing alone in the middle of the road. He dismounts, and sends a barrage of magic missiles streaking toward one of the enemies.

Meanwhile, the rogues the druid is approaching are revealed to be Halflings. They throw a flurry of daggers at the druid, nicking him in the process. Then they drew short swords.

Another ambusher drops his short bow, draws a mace and goes charging toward Durin, whom he misses.

On the other side of the battle field, yet another attacker – this one a half-elf -- drops his bow, draws his great axe and charges Hanros, hitting him mightily. Godfrey moves up, trying flank the Hanros’s attacker, but feebily misses. Hanros steps back, puts to arrows into his enemy, who collapses to the ground.

Remaining bowman on the eastern side fires an arrow at the wizard, hitting him but barely wounding him. One of his counterpart to the west moves up and shanks Godfrey, drawing a not-inconsiderable amount of blood.

Then Manansi moves toward the remaining bowman to the southwest, and sends a ray of fire burning towards him, hitting him in the mouth latterly setting his head on fire from the inside. The man died instantly.

Soloth continues his fight with the Halflings, missing at first, then landing a brutal blow with his sickle that slays one of the diminutive duo.

Godfrey whirls around to challenge his attacker, crying “you bastard!” and misses. The ranger, meanwhile, hits the last eastern archer with two arrows, dropping him. Dwarf continues his fight, missing. Manansi turns his attention to Godfrey’s attacker, and causes him to collapse, laughing hysterically thanks to a Tasha’s Uncontrollable Laughter spell. One of the surviving ambushers – the mace-wielding one confronting Durin – offers to surrender, but Hanros scoffs saying “Give them no quarter!” Hearing this, the warrior continues to fight on.

The other halfing turns and runs, followed by Soloth. His mountain lion sprung after the Halfling, biting him and holding on. Hanros sends two arrows flying toward the grappled Halfling, but misses.

Godfrey staggers forward and strikes out at his tormentor with his short sword, managing to inflict a minor, insignificant wound.

The Halfling manages to slip free from the mountain lion, and runs for his life. Manansi surveys the battlefield, and decides to cast mage armor upon himself.

Durin asks the ambusher to surrender, in spite of Hanros’ threat, but the man decides to continue fighting on. Fortunately, he misses. Durin asks again, and he throws down his mace. The dwarf demands to know why they attack. Bandit gives a half-assed story about being adventurers attacked by raiders, but no one believes him. Manansi casts detect thoughts, learns location of the bandit’s goods.

Godfrey gives his enemy a swift kick, falls back, draws his crossbow and waits for his laughing to subside. When the giggles end, the man sees Godfrey, and utters “oh shit … please don’t kill me”. The rogue replies “Give me one reason why”. The man responds by blurbing incoherently.

Manansi asks “Are any of you clerics?”

“Uh … no.” they responded.

“You know, I hear some of these bandit-types sometime get the faith after getting defeated in battles like this,” Godfrey speculates.

The party finds the wagon loaded up with trade goods. They strip the dead of their weapons and armor and load it onto the wagon. Manansi learns through detect thoughts that the bandit leader was a solider drummed out of the army unfairly, and is deeply depressed. Also learn that the bandits have been holding up merchants and such, but haven’t gone out of their way to kill their opponents.

Joe Bob (human, leader) and Pete (human) agree to serve the party on their current expedition without pay, and in turn won’t kill them at the end of their servitude. Offer to feed them in the meantime, and offer the promise of employment for a job well done.

Spend the rest of the days burying the corpses, then camp. The night passes uneventfully.

Harvester 19, 591

That morning, Godfrey – whose wearing the emerald soul stone – finds he can see better in the dark than he’d expected. This is on top of suddenly being able to move faster in the previous day’s combat.

After breaking camp, they head down the road toward “Camp Greenleaf”, a outpost of the Greyhawk militia. Joe Bob looks nervous, having been drummed out of the militia. Godfrey and Durin try to disguise the former bandit, but fail miserably.

On the way, they encounter a patrol on the road, clearly rangers out from Greenleaf. Rangers report they’re out looking for bandits; the party inform them that they killed the bandits, but not that they’d kept two survivors with them.

Move on, but can’t reach camp within a day, and must camp. Learn from Joe Bob that the area is susceptible to humanoid attack. Godfrey tries to talk the prisoners into embracing religion.

The night passes uneventfully.

Harvester 20, 591

On the way in, meet more militia patrols, and learn that humanoids – orcs and ogres – have been raiding the area. Arrive in Greenleaf, finding it to be quite small. That night, learn from soldiers in camp that there appears to be a powerful humanoid leading the readers. Details are sketchy because their scout was killed, and they only have sketchy details from his recovered notebook. Learn they’ve sent out more scouts looking for more info. Night passes uneventfully.

Harvester 22, 591

After spending the 21st healing up, they decide to head out. They leave their horses, pony and wagon at the fort, and head out into the woods.

Go out into the forest, guided by the stone. Soloth realizes that the stone is moving slightly, apparently drifting southward. Determine that its within 1 days travel; speculate that perhaps the leader of the humanoid band is using this particular stone.

That night, Durin wakes up repeatedly to check his stone to see if the other stone moves closer. Later that night, he’s alarmed to learn that’s exactly what its doing. Soloth and Godfrey quickly scout out the area, looking for forward elements of the humanoid force. They find none. Back at the camp, the party decides to take to the trees and hide. Set up dummies on the ground.

Dig out space next to rock for Durin, then cover him with leaves. And then they wait.

Hours later, four orcs come marching out of the darkness. The party is none-to-quiet either. As orcs close, the party starts peppering them with arrows and bolts, and then Manansi drops a web on them, hindering all but one of the orcs.

Hanros sends a few shots at the approach orcs, but does little in the way of damage. The bandit Joe Bob fell out of the tree. Shortly there after, another orcish band appeared, comprised of another four orcs, who quickly close. Manansi tries to drop them using a sleep spell, but only one falls.

And then the third war band shows up, this one led by the ogre. Hanros drops from his tree, shoots at the ogre and misses. Godfrey, hopefully safe in his tree, takes a shot of his own, and misses narrowly. The wizard then drops a sleep spell on the orcs with the ogre, causing two to fall into slumber.

The druid took a bow shot at the ogre, but failed miserably. The ogre responded by moving into moved into melee range, attacking the tree-bound druid and landing an heavy blow. The wizard, in a neighboring tree, mocked the ogre and launched three magic missiles, which struck him instantly.

Badly wounded, Soloth drops from his tree and flees from the ogre. Elsewhere, several orcs key up on Durin, hitting him with two brutal blows. Another charges Soloth’s mountain lion and strikes with an impressive swing of his own. And yet another hits Joe Bob, staggering him.

Godfrey continues to attack with his crossbow … and miss. The wizard, however, continues to prove his worth by hitting one of the orcs fighting Durin with a scorching ray.

Ogre closes on Godfry, stabbing him badly. Godfrey, looking terrified, glances up and plans to climb higher. Then Pete the Hireling manages to crit and kill and ogre with a bowshot from the tree. Godfrey scrambles higher, moves 15 feet up the tree, takes another shot at the ogres, and misses yet again.

The wizard inches out on a limb, manages to maintain his balance and then causes ogre to succumb to uncontrollable laughter. Durin suffers attacks from orcs, which hit, but then kills an orc. Joe Bob is able to kill an orc of his own as well, and then Pete crits another orc, killing it.

Godfrey, seeing the ogre fall, slips down from his tree, dropping to the ground and reading his shortsword. Nearby an orc leaps forward, strikes the druid, and drops him with a penetrating strike. Another orc kills the druid’s mountain lion. Durin avenges his friend by killing yet another orc. Hanros leaps into the breach near Soloth, and claims an orc of his own. The ranger than rips out some bandages and binds the fallen druid’s wounds.

Godfrey pleads for help with the ogre, urging the wizard to come down out of tree and attack.

”I’m not going over there – he could kill me in one shot!” – Manansi, referring to the ogre. “He could kill me with one shot too!” – Godfrey, standing next to the ogre.

Durin comes charging over, hitting the ogre with his war axe. Then Godfrey finally manages to sneak attack him with his short sword. The ranger also moves over to the ogre and critically striking him. Manansi, aware that he was in no position to shoot the ogre, stood by nervously, ready to cast as web spell or some other magic to restrain the humanoid. Godfrey tries to hit the creature, but fails.

Manansi, courage surging through him, charges forward and smashes the ogre with his spear, leaving a sizable bump. Durin sees the ogre stop laughing, and desperately lashes out. He hits. Godfrey follows up, driving his short sword up through the ogre’s draw before he manages to stand, killing him instantly.

Recover a rune stone from the body of the ogre. Find that it is a simple field stone, but twice as large as the party’s own stones, and with two runes on it. It is unlike anything the party had heard or read about before. Durin touches the stone, and feels a sudden search of energy. They then returned back to the camp, where they claimed the bounty on the slain humanoids.

Experience & Loot

  • No experience and/or loot is avalable for this saga.
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