(G233 06/03/2015 via Roll20 - MI(GM), AP, JF)(5e 1)

(G233 06/03/2015 via Roll20 - MI(GM), AP, JF)(5e 1)

[GM note : Mira missed this game so MI GM'd a session of 5th edition. This is Rollo (JF) doing the write
up though.]

Well, just before I get back to all that, on the other side of the page I'll quickly recount a bit of some
story that has been a camp fire tale for us over the last few days. This is a tale that Sylvia knows, but
how she comes to know it and the people involved I have no idea. I've never heard of Riverbek either and
she won't divulge where in the world it is. She may well be making it all up, but it has at least been
keeping us amused. And so to begin...

This is the story of two ner'do'wells. The first was a half orc barbarian known as Skeldrog and the other
was a Teifling Bard called Random Hasserteeb.

Skeldrog, or Drog to his friends, was a straight forward sort of chap and somewhat of a folk hero from
where he came from. Random styled himself as a sort of diplomat and bard, but his real profession was
that of burglar. He was always planning and scheming, was greedy and light fingered, but much of what he
stole went towards feeding and clothing his wife and eight children so perhaps he wasn't all bad.

Sylvia seemed to know all the members of his family. His wife was called Rita, a woman who wove baskets
and their children were Tulip, Wyvern, Naga, Tifter, Dewi, Giff, Fanny and Bootle. Tulip was the oldest
at fifteen and Bootle was just two months old.

Rita was also the sister of a man called Kaleb, who ran the Crusty Crab Inn in the town of Riverbek. This
establishment also served as the headquarters of the local Thieves' Guild.

(day 1)

So, Drog and Random were very much partners in crime. Random was the 'brains' of the outfit and Drog was
the brawn. As they often did our two protagonists were in the Crab drinking a couple of beers and trying
to come up with ways of making money that didn't involved anything like work or direct employment.

Random scribbled a list in his notebook:

* James's Farm - burnt down recently by goblins - might be stuff left - crates of weapons ..
* North west in mnts - ruined town - taken in a pair of wanted crims with bountys on their heads. sanctuary may have riches
* Fairy Grove - guarded by a unicorn, and pixies and centaurs - has pixie dust
* Hag Guilde to the north with two sons
* Goblins are a nuisance on the roads
* Labyrinth to the north with very powerful guardians
* Grasslands to the north
* not much to do in Riverbek....
* Cyclops to north of cherry blossom

They had a good giggle about the idea of harassing pixies for their dust but in the end they agreed it might not
be such a bad idea since their was good gold to be made from the dust. If they could sneak in under the nose of
the unicorn then it would be easy money.

Goblins or pixies? They tossed a coin. Pixies.

They would need a virgin to sing in a clearing to attract the pixies so towards that end Random came up with a plan to
disguise their activity as a camping trip and co-opted his daughter Dewi, who was eight years old, into the scheme.
She invited along her friend and neighbour a fourteen year old half-elven lass called Vira.

Random also took some baskets from his wife to keep the captured pixies in.

And so, it was no long before they had set off from Riverbek, the two hoodlums and two little girls off on a
camping trip. There was a light rain, but they were sheltered in the forest and they followed animal tracks
until the came across a line of mushrooms. Drog reckoned this was a boundary or druid circle that marked the
border of the Unicorn's Land.

Random girded his lions and stepped over the mushrooms. Suddenly it was summery and warm and there was no
rain. Random, a creature born of evil, felt his chest tighten and his breathing was more difficult but other
than that he was unaffected.

They traveled on until it got dark and made a camp fire. The adults divided up the night into two watches.
During his watch Drog heard a troll screaming in the night for a good half an hour, but other than that things
were uneventful.

(day 2)

The sun rose and after breakfast the girls went to pick flowers and look for spiders. Drog hunted out a suitable
clearing and they moved to there to carry our their pixie luring scheme.

The girls entered, shooed in by Random, but Vira was hit by a small poison dart no bigger than a needle!
Drog was hit too, then Dewi. The dart made her fall to the ground and go to sleep. Small shapes flitted through
the shadows of the under bush. These were sprites, more aggressive than pixies and very territorial.

Next Vira was hit again and fell asleep. Random began to play his lute and sing to magically inspire Drog
who then went to attack the sprites. He flung his javelins at them and managed to pin one to a tree and kill
it. The others turned invisible and fled while Drog hurled javelins about, one narrowly missing Random's head
making him duck and curse.

The girls woke up after a short while and Drog climbed the tree where his javelin had lodged. While up the
tree though he spotted another clearing and they decided to move off to that one.

This new clearing had an ancient old tree in the middle with a little spring tinkling from between its roots.
As Random approached he noticed it had a sort of face on its trunk.

For want of any better plan he started to play a song on his lute and this had the strange effect of making
the tree start to hum. Humming also seemed to come out of the earth.
As Random continued to play the face on the tree seemed to come to life as if waking up from a deep sleep.
'Hello Treeface', said Random
'Hello Horned One', came the very slow reply.
'Know where there is any gold?', asked Random, 'I have a big family to feed.'
'Gold....hummmmmmm.... not gold.'
'Silver? Gems? Anything valuable?'
'Hmmm...if value.....'

The conversation was very slow and ponderous with the tree. Drog interrupted,
'There are people coming!'
Random hissed and motioned for them all to hide behind the tree.

An orcish hunting party approached, one riding a wolf, two more on foot and a forth skulking in the
bushes. They spotted the campers though and Drog shrugged then went over to talk to them.

Random heard the tree mutter, 'Intruders.....', as its branches began to move as if in a wind.

The skulking orc was making to sneak up on those beside the tree and as he got closer he brandished
an axe. This had the effect of making a large root suddenly come out of the ground, grab the orc and
slam him to the ground.

Random decided to choose a side in this battle and drawing his rapier cried,
'I am friend of the trees! Aiee!'
He then followed this yell with a charge at the stricken orc.

The others perhaps mistook him for a satyr, a much more challenging enemy than a Teifling footpad
and hesitated giving Drog enough time to set about them. The ent (for such it surely must have been)
hurled rocks at the orcs. Drog swung his axe and killed the wolf, then again and disemboweled the
orc leader.
The leader flew into a berserker rage but slipped and fell on his own entrails. The other two made
a run for it, but Drog cut them down and slew them also.

After the combat, Drog looted and moved the bodies while Random sang a soothing song to the kids.
Vira was rather traumatized, but Rita was just like her old man and loved a bit of chaos and blood
letting.
The ent too appreciated the help and the song and a root came up out of the ground and handed Random
a glass bulb with a magic fire glowing within it with a soft light.

They rested and then decided to head back, laden down with the weapons and armour of the orcs. Drog
found a short cut and they arrived back at Riverbek that evening. The girls were returned to their
mothers and the partners in crime divided up the spoils.