Session 14 – On Arame Pond

Written by KoshcheiBessmertnyi

General Summary

The horse-pelican takes flight. Dark figures emerge from under tree cover on the Crag side of the pond, and launch more arrows, one of which strikes the horse-pelican. A jubilant cheer, apparently in the orcish tongue, goes up from the shapes. The arrow, as if attached to some sort of invisible thread, seems to hold the horse-pelican fast, as the dark figures begin to reel him in. Enkidu is concerned about being discovered, and prefers to lie low, but Theobald lauches a spell that succeeds in freeing the creature. The figures fire again, and this time, two arrows find their mark. The horse pelican is caught once more. As the creatures reel it in like a kite, it communicates telepathically with the party members, telling them not to worry. The creatures complete their capture of the horse-pelican, bind its feet, and disappear behind the waterfall, though some sort of scuffle, accompanied by apparently orcish curses, occurs as they vanish. Enkidu, Theobald and Glitterstem conclude that things are under control for the time being, and want to wait until nightfall, so as to recover from the encounter with the mosquito birds. Balint, however, is outraged at what has happened, and wants to find out what happened. He goes off to investigate the pond.
Enkidu finds a thicket under forest cover where the party can rest up, but he himself heads out deeper into the woods. He has honed his mental skills and learned much from his druid associates about finding communion with the wilderness in the last few months, and he senses that an animal companion may be nearby. Soon, he comes upon a pack of wolves that is stalking a large wild boar. Enkidu intercedes on his behalf, shoots one wolf, and the rest grudgingly depart. The ranger and his new porcine pal, who is a little shell-shocked for the time being, return to camp. The training process begins, while Enkidu unsuccessfully attempts to fashion a cloak out of wolf hide.
As late afternoon rolls around, the companions awaken from their slumber, and are ready to set forth. The opposite, waterfall side of the pond is craggy terrain, so Enkidu decides to leave the boar in the thicket until he returns. Four companions set out, heading upward into the hills, and occasionally climbing up fairly steep inclines until they reach the waterfall. Nearby, they find signs of the orcish shooters – arrows whose fletching suggests Brotherhood membership, and a couple of curious wooden spools with a thin, nearly invisible, sticky, web-like substance wound around them. A body, probably orcish, floats near a bank at the bottom of the waterfall. The party climbs over a series of boulders to reach the waterfall. Glitterstem’s legs are too short to do it effectively, and he temporarily gets stuck between a couple of the boulders. Balint transforms himself into a beaver in an attempt to increase his facility in a more watery environment, but this has the opposite effect as he encounters Glitterstem’s problem, so he changes into a goat to improve his leaping capacity. As the party reaches the waterfall, a tunnel concealed behind it becomes evident, but immediately after, Enkidu is attacked by a snake-like, watery being concealed behind the waterfall. A melee breaks out in which Enkidu briefly looses consciousness as the being attempts to strangle and drown him, but he is resuscitated by Glitterstem’s curative powers. Attempts to subdue the creature prove generally ineffective, as it seems to possess resistance to most forms of damage, perhaps excepting Theobald’s spells. Glitterstem and Balint the goat join the effort, and at one point the creature does withdraw, though it is apparently unvanquished. Glitterstem (now in giant spider form) and Balint enter the tunnel, but Enkidu and Theobald are badly battered and/or low on spells, so they prefer to return to the encampment. The party follows this course of action and finds the boar waiting for them, unharmed. The companions rest until the following morning.

Report Date

21 Aug 2015