Journal - South of the Efferendil
Triumphant Return and a Gnome Called Hishik
Our return was a surprise to the guards, but they recognised us and relaxed when they were sure we were not pursued. The other prisoner we had rescued, Nethiel, was also known to them by name, and welcomed; we had given him an ermine cloak so that he was not naked. Our urgent request to speak with Malenwe was granted with speed, and we were escorted to see her.
I was a little nervous, not knowing how Malenwe would react once we revealed that Senforn was with us, and having seen her in battle! Baldir explained our plan to take him to Melai for judgement and service, but Malenwe uttered some words of power and rose, drawing her sword. Baldir later explained that she had read his aura and determined that he was not of good intent. Bravely, Baldir stepped in front of him, saying that the sword he carried had affected his mind, and beseeching Malenwe to allow him to seek penance with Odin’s eye upon him. I had been edging away in case things got violent, but Malenwe had seen Odin’s influence for good, and Baldir’s offer seemed to stay her blade… for now.
Not wanting to waste any time, Baldir started to prepare a ceremony, instructing us in our parts to help where necessary. For me that basically meant staying out of the way! Finally, he painted a blue eye of Odin on Senforn’s chest and began to intone the words that would bring Odin’s gaze upon him. As he finished his chant the eye flared briefly and a shockwave flew from it, making my ears ring, and Senforn flew backwards a yard or so onto his arse. His sword seemed to hang in the air for a second and then fell to the ground, with sparks and what seemed like a dark aura tainting the air for a few seconds. Takeda, seizing the moment, stepped forward and swore upon his honour that he would personally escort Senforn to Milai or die in the attempt, seeking to reassure Malenwe.
After this display Malenwe did seem happier that some of the evil afflicting her people had been undone. She sent orders for a bodyguard to accompany us as far as the Cloof, and we set about preparing for our journey. Rhionne, sadly, announced that he would not be coming with us; his place was here with his people, defending the great tree and the forest from evil. Takeda presented him with a precious arrow in a typically stiff and formal manner, representing the bond between their people. I also gifted him with a mark of dweomer, showing him to be a friend of the Men of Farass (although only fellow shamen would be able to see it).
Baldir had plans to set up a temple to Odin, and had gathered a small collection of priests to indoctrinate. Rhionne was also there, named as the “Defender of the Church”, and could train warriors to fight in the name of Odin and Heimdall. Baldir held a ceremony at the pool, so that all would know of this new order, and set them the task to start building nearby.
Once suitably rested we travelled north and east, intending to intersect with the Cloof and follow it towards Fontainver. The land we travelled through was looking better now, and in places there was farmland being tended, which boded well for feeding all those we had left behind when we first set out on this strange journey, although it was Autumn now.
We were eventually met by a small troop of Milai’s heavy cavalry, who provided us with horses to speed our travel. We camped together for the night, sharing food and news. Takeda reassured Senforn, who was seemingly free of the curse that had plagued him, that he would have safe passage with us. Whilst the pleasantries were going on, I was suddenly warned by Essere that there was another pseudodragon here, and then she cut off our connection suddenly (but had not been attacked). I was on edge at once, although there was no sign of attack. A short man, a little like a dwarf but not quite… no beard for a start, just a moustache, and an enormous nose… stepped into the firelight looking at me in particular and asking us to relax, that he was no threat.
Takeda had notched an arrow, aiming squarely at him. He was armed, but empty-handed, holding them up in a placating manner. I demanded to know what had happened to Essere. He seemed nervous in his speech, stammering and quiet, but confident in his personal safety. He introduced himself as Hishik Barazar Cloakshadow, a gnome no less. Baldir called Odin’s blessing on him, testing his allegiance, but he gave no reaction. I was finally given a sense from Essere that she was ok, in fact far better – she seemed happy and excited – but then she was gone again. I relaxed slightly and shook Hishik’s offered hand. A few moments later Essere returned, and with her heightened senses I saw a pseudodragon curl around Hishik’s shoulders, which I knew in a flash was called Marsat and was someone that Essere deferred to.
Senforn had reacted badly, seeing only the form of his captors and not his friendly demeanor. Baldir attempted to calm him, calling a blessing down to soothe his mind. Senforn was contrite, apologising and thanking Odin once more for saving him, in atonement he offered Baldir a phoenix feather from the Greek heavens. Finally we settled for the best way to relax and get to know this new arrival… a good smoke! Senforn, Hishik, me, and even Takeda sat down to share some excellent pipeweed. I think I would get on with Hishik just fine!
Over a few days of travel, Senforn slowly came around to accepting all of us as wanting to help him and not deceive him. Loki’s influence had been heavy upon him, so we could understand his caution. He started so share some of his knowledge of the enemy; Loki had hidden the movement of ships, had hidden Yarlug and its occupants, had hidden the hilt, and would hide LockLastar, Vorsaykorai and others. Many of the old songs were known to his agents, including Rathon, allowing travel along the roots of Yggdrasil. Loki had influence on the use of shards and artifacts, and now Senforn was aware of Loki’s influence on his own actions.
When we arrived at Fontainver, we were glad to see that the walls had been rebuilt and were once again majestic to behold. Passing inside it was clear that there was still much work to do, with new defences being erected to defend from any assault from the sea. We entered through the southern gate, over the river, with the others no longer open (another strength), although I thought I heard Baldir muttering about how it would not help if the enemy just walked through the walls.
Many of the free folk came and went from the citadel, with the road busy in both directions and bustling trade within the walls. The people were no longer desperate as they had been when we left, instead building a new community here and in the fields around. I had thought that we would go straight to the citadel to meet Milai, but Baldir insisted on going to the temple first.
We were challenged on arrival, but Baldir was recognised and made welcome. There were no free permanent quarters, but space was made in tents for us all. We left Baldir to pray and make his donations to his spiritual home and made our way to the citadel with Senforn. Essere was flying with Mursat, playing at times and generally ignoring everyone; this was very unlike her, and I felt a little spark of jealously that my companion should be so easily distracted. The citadel was heavily guarded, but Takeda played the role of lord well and we were eventually admitted and given food and water as we awaited an audience with Milai.
When we were finally in Milai’s presence we were welcomed as friends, and she commanded that we be left alone. She knew Nethiel, greeting him first and we realised that he was also of royal lineage. He was from the Old Heart forest far in the east, but had been captured in Balem whilst looking for his daughter (a potential bloom perhaps), being taken to the lower planes. He asked to leave on his quest now that he was back amongst friends and restored. Milai bid him leave with her blessing, but he took a moment to write a letter of safe passage through the Old Heart in thanks for his rescue, presenting it to Takeda. Takeda gave another arrow, marked with the symbol of his house. No wonder he has to wander around picking up arrows all the time if this is what he does with them!
Senforn had been shaking with fear since Milai arrived, uncertain of his fate, and attention now turned to him. He need not have worried so much, as there was no desire to punish him, only to help him recover. For our part in his rescue we were rewarded, and I received a valuable scroll of dweomer from the Lady Milai’s own collection. Whilst we were known to her by the times we had communicated with Lanzi, Hishik was not someone she had met. I spoke up to highlight the importance of his companion, Musat, before he could be overlooked. Musat rose to the occasion, revealing himself and explaining that he was an agent of Bahamut on the Prime, and Essere for his part spoke up for Hishik as a supporter of good. Senforn was offered redemption in battle, in service of Milai, under an oath made to Odin. Takeda, who had his doubts about trusting someone with so little honour, seemed to accept that if Senforn could prove himself as a warrior then it would begin to make amends. Lanzi suggested that we hold a big party to celebrate, which made me smile – finally a chance to relax and meet some of the local ladies!
The frivolity could not last long, of course, and Milai prepared to ride in person to meet with Malenwe. We rode as escorts, along with many of her cavalry as befits a queen, of course, and met with the Efferendil elves at the forest border. We travelled without incident back to the glade and then entered a war council to discuss the next moves in the region.
Much was discussed, not all of which I followed, but offer the following as highlights that seemed important. There was a fear that Lorien is a bloom. Life was returning to the Efferendil as before. A dragon named Si Lung plunged into the pool and was joined by Milai, at which point the sylph emerged to meet them. Far more than just a dryad, she transformed into a goddess! She reassured Milai that her change of allegiance to serve Odin was her choice and would not be to her disadvantage. Lorien could not be bonded with, as she needed to be on the Prime for this to happen, and would be the Lawful Neutral bloom. Quick thoughts on blooms: Malask CE Negative, Inwe NE, Halfling?, Yishmay LG Prime, Lorien LN, Mandur NG Earth, Gnome?, Duregar? There was also talk of military actions, with Vorsaykorai weakened by Merc’s army moving south – I gave over the Key of Kagrash that would enable a force to attack from inside, and this combination meant that they would try to quickly take the fortress. There was the fortified bridge to the west of the forest to consider, as it kept the Men of Farass from moving south, and if taken would divide the enemy. This was to be our objective.
First, though, we met with Rhionne again, and Takeda paid for a massive banquet so that he would be seen with all the important people from the region. His honour was at stake, so I don’t think he enjoyed it nearly enough, but the rest of us could kick back and have a good time. I don’t think it was a coincidence that he seated me somewhere just inside the kitchen (I exaggerate of course), but I’m not complaining as it was great fun at the boisterous end! It was the first gathering, as far as we knew, of the full new White Council, and Takeda did well to mark in as such with his family name so prominent.
The Bridge at Haverel
Sadly we had to leave all this behind to set off on another uncomfortable and dangerous adventure! That said, to come to the aid of my people was reason enough for me to go willingly, even if I wouldn’t let the others know it. It was about a week’s travel to the far side of the forest, where we could stop and look over the rolling tundra beyond. The river was still broad, and there was no mistaking our objective – the huge walled bridge, with gatehouses on each side, sat squarely ahead. A wooden rampart had been erected to the south, adding further defences, and a large enemy force was camped to the north. It was about two miles from us, but it was impossible to approach without being clearly seen so we stopped and discussed our plan.
Hishik volunteered to go ahead and scout it out, apparently having the means to remain hidden even over such a long period of time. We would delay a decision on how to proceed until he reported back. Once the decision was taken he promptly turned invisible and we were left to wait. What I describe next is just what he told us of his trip, but I have no reason to doubt him based on what we saw afterwards.
There were Drow and Gith guarding the bridge and the small encampment behind the rampart to the south. A cart approached from the south, with a “wild man” in black driving it, and Hishik caught a lift beneath it, his size working to his advantage. He travelled this way right through the camp, and over the bridge to the other side, noting the numbers and disposition of enemy troops. He got off then, moving into cover, and sent Musat back to report via Essere. As he lay there, the troops camped to the north started to prepare to move off further north, mustering and eventually starting to move off. He had a bit of a scare returning to us; even though he crossed the bridge without incident, when climbing over the wooden rampart he fell and landed heavily on the outside, causing a guard to sound an alarm! Fortunately he could hide himself, still invisible, and just waited until the sentinels decided that there was nothing there and returned to their posts. He made his way back to us, appearing suddenly to some consternation but with some wounds from his fall. Baldir healed the damage, with Odin’s power, and Hishik seemed most impressed with this benevolent act.
We asked our companions, Malenwe’s people, to see what force they could muster quickly to support an assault on the bridge now we knew what we faced. It transpired that there could be a hundred or so cavalry ready to attack if we could penetrate the defences and open the way for them. We came up with a plan for a night attack, with Hishik penetrating in advance and Baldir and me opening a path for the main attack.
We approached without incident under the cover of darkness, with our small army just a short distance behind us. Hishik went on ahead, invisible, and Baldir stepped forward with me in readiness for the attack. We waited… a mess tent and the need for the enemy to gather to eat we had decided was a chance to attack when the outer defences were weakened and a bulk of the Drow in one place as a target. Eventually a bell chimed, the dinner call. We waited a little more to give the foe time to move before acting.
Hishik used dweomer to create a solid stone bridge under the arch of the gatehouse nearest us, preventing the portcullis from being lowered and ensuring the cavalry could get onto the bridge. I conjured a wind wall in front of me, which would deflect arrow fire once the fighting started. Baldir, not waiting for me to begin the attack, dropped a fire storm blindly into the compound, setting alight the mess tent with many Drow within. Perhaps he thought my spell was the start of the attack… but why would I start a fight whilst standing on my own some distance from an army without any form of defence? Weird.
Taking the fire as the signal to attack, Takeda ran forward shouting a battle cry and loosing arrows at the ramparts. The cavalry began to move, although hesitating as the gate was still intact. I fixed that, with a fireball aimed straight at it that exploded with splinters and flames, leaving an entrance for the cavalry charge. As planned, the arrows sent our way in return were blown up and away from us, leaving us unharmed for now. I used more dweomer to confuse some of the defenders near the gate as the cavalry charged through, losing only a handful of riders in the advance thanks to the chaos and timing of the attack. Takeda, still running forward, picked off a defender from the rampart, and the cavalry pressed their attack under the portcullis to reach the main bridge. I confused another group of defenders as Takeda reached the gate, killing another Drow as he entered.
At this point the wind wall died down, which was painfully obvious when I was struck by an arrow! I used dweomer to shield myself, and both Baldir and Takeda were also hit. Takeda killed another defender, unfazed by his wound. Hishik, seeing that we (well Takeda) were in the compound, joined in by hypnotising a group of Drow with a swirling pattern of lights. Takeda blew on a horn, summoning Norse beserkers to join the fight, immediately sending them to attack the nearest Drow, even as he took another hit. Baldir ran forward, levitating up to the level of the rampart, and used a fireball to incinerate a half dozen Drow. Takeda moved up behind the beserkers, picking his targets more carefully now and finishing off four in quick sucession.
Left alone and with the fight raging more inside now than out, I decided to summon a war horse to carry me forward rather than just walk. I began to regret this decision when I felt a powerful surge of dweomer accompany the summons, but it quickly drained away into my belt, imbuing it with a minor, but permanent, enchantment that seemed to help me anticipate where threats would come from. Baldir continued his levitating act, moving around the outside of the rampart to engage the Gith, but failing to land a blow. I rode forward just in time to see him knocked unconscious by his foe! Hishik continued his own offensive, causing two to fall senseless whilst killing another with magic missiles. I was close enough now to hurl flaming bolts at the foe, but failed to connect. Takeda killed another two foes that got too close, though.
I summoned a flaming sphere on the rampart we hadn’t assaulted yet, to the right of the gate, hoping to force the defenders back, and used shocking grasp to jolt a Gith from behind. Hishik hit a foe with an arrow, but unimpressed with the impact, he followed up with a flaming dart that literally burnt the Drow to ash! Takeda managed to kill one of the Gith, as well as another Drow, and then swigged a potion that made him stronger, renewing his attack – two more Drow fell to his arrows. He then swigged another potion, clearly looking for an advantage to keep the momentum of our initial charge. It seemed to work as he quickly felled another two Gith and two Drow, forcing the defenders back. He linked up with Hishik who, seeing the wounds he had sustained, rubbed keoghtomes on him to ensure he would not fall.
Most of the beserkers had been slain, but one remained and he killed a Drow. Seeing that there was now a pocket inside the gate, I rode in and targeted the defenders in the nearest tower, confusing them as I had others earlier. Takeda and Hishik saw the opportunity, running in to attack the tower from within, Takeda killing a Drow that tried to stop them. I had taken some arrow hits since joining the main fight, and used keoghtomes to heal the wounds before they brought me down. Takeda reached the top of the tower, putting an arrow in the Gith there, and Hishik darted past him, stabbing the Gith in his side, killing him. Takeda, finally running out of arrows, drew his katana and ran the Drow defender through. With the tower secured, and the Gith dead, the remaining Drow surrendered to us. The cavalry had secured the rest of the bridge. This was a great victory!
After resting a while and treating the worst of our wounds, as well as ensuring the bridge would be held by a force until relieved, we started the journey back to the glade and Malenwe. Reaching our goal without opposition (the forest was increasingly safe for the forces of good), we saw that a large oriental army was gathering, brought through the astral links from Evrinstar. This would be the force that would retake Vorsaykorai, and Yagitamo would be the great general to lead them once more. Malenwe was glad to hear of our success, rewarding Hishik in particular with finely crafted and enchanted arrows.
A Family Reunion
Baldir stayed at his nascent temple for a while whilst the rest of us travelled on to the south to meet the main part of Yagitamo’s army. As we rode we came across Takeda’s clan, which was an opportunity he could not pass up as his father was with them. I knew that it was important to him to impress his father and the troops of his house, so I used a little dweomer to enhance his appearance and bearing for this auspicious meeting. He started apologising almost immediately, which seems to be something his people do a lot, although it was for the loss of his ancestral Dai Ku, so that seemed reasonable. He was tasked to replace it with a better weapon in order to redeem himself. He then presented his father with the wakashasi of Tuar Chan, but his father said that he should instead present it to Yagitamo to increase the honour of his house. He then offered valuable gems from the hoard at Yarlug, and his father took half – the other half was for him to keep to mark the bond between them. Messengers were then sent to request an audience with Yagitamo.
The meeting with Yagitamo came with a huge amount of ceremony, and any fears I had of Baldir being left behind were soon forgotten. To be fair, Takeda was honoured with an audience quickly, only second to Yishmay herself in speaking with him. It was going well until he started asking if he could have any arrows. Just because you give them away to everyone you meet doesn’t mean we all do it, Takeda!
As I thought, we met with Baldir later that day, and could now set off on our own course. Hishik had asked for aid for his people, and warned that the south was held by the enemy in strength from here. We were to travel with him and discern the friendly and enemy dispositions, offering direct help if we were able to. We rode southeast, soon leaving the army behind us and I revelled in the freedom of being in the wilderness once more. The oriental laws and formalities were even more stifling than the elves, something I had not thought possible!
The Journey South
After a few hours, we were on alert as a dust devil could be seen off to one side of our line of travel ahead. We readied for combat as it seemed to change direction to intercept us. Then we heard beating wings, and a group of winged lion beasts swept over the hill, heading for the dust devil rather than us. As they got near, the dust devil collapsed down into a single, male figure, drawing swords in readiness for a fight. The figure was wearing loose, baggy trousers, with bare chest. It’s swords were large and heavily curved, a design I was not familiar with (although I happily confess to being no expert on swords). One of the winged creatures roared at the figure, whilst the others bounded forward to attack. Hishik was suddenly surrounded by images of himself, a clever defence. Baldir seemed to be lost in prayer, but suddenly ran forward to defend the lone figure, shouting that he was for good, hitting the nearest creature with his morning star. I responded, using the claw that I had found in the Yarlug trove to shock the same creature from afar.
Takeda initially struggled to land any hits, but eventually managed to put an arrow in the foe, as did Hishik. Takeda’s second hit landed well, causing the beast to roar in pain. I used a spell to increase the power of my dweomer temporarily, but again felt the dweomer surge as the spell came into effect. The dweomer had worked, but it made my skin really itchy, interfering with my focus for the rest of the fight. Takeda put the injured creature down with another arrow, and in response its companion roared again. The roar weakened me, making my equipment seem so heavy that I fell to the ground with a gasp. It also seemed to affect Baldir, although he remained standing. Baldir was also bitten, opening a nasty gash, and was deafened by the roar. A great terror seized me, and I began desperately pulling my backpack off in order to be able to run. Baldir responded with a wild swing that landed, causing the beast to recoil, and then Takeda finished it with an arrow. There was just one left, and it took flight, fleeing the way it had come.
The following was confusing, as I was unnaturally terrified and forced to flee so I was not paying attention to what transpired. My friends tried to recall what happened, but it makes little sense. I started to flee as soon as I was able, leaving my equipment on the floor. Baldir had, meanwhile, tried to talk to the figure we had fought to defend, but he could not understand his tongue and the figure returned to a dust devil, disappearing in haste to the south. Hishik tried to charm me, to prevent me from running, but failed. Baldir dropped some equipment, also weakened, and then tried to run back to the horses, still slower than normal, shouting “I’m deaf” as he did so. Takeda started running after me, but was far slower so I easily outpaced him.
Baldir was too slow to reach a horse to follow me, Hishik was too small to mount a horse without help. Baldir was shouting loudly at everyone, assuming that they were also deafened by the roar, but eventually managed to get to a horse and ride after me. After a couple of attempts, riding past me each time, he succeeded in easing my fear and I gratefully rode behind him back towards the others. Strangely we passed Takeda on the way, who then had to turn and jog back behind us! We eventually all returned to Hishik, who had wisely decided to stop for a smoke and see how we did. You can see why I say this was confusing, and perhaps the roar of the lion beast affected us more than we realised.
We camped for the night, but it did not go undisturbed. On the second watch I could feel the ground trembling, and quickly woke Takeda as Baldir woke Hishik. A “sail” or “fin” approached rapidly, breaking the ground before it and a creature jumped right out of the soil with blinding speed at Takeda, who only just managed to step to the side to avoid it’s lunge. Baldir stepped forward and hit it with his burning mace. I used a dig spell, hoping to undermine its attacks but also doing damage to it directly due to its affinity with the earth. Takeda was then able to finish it off quickly with arrows.
Thankfully we were able to rest after this intrusion and continued our journey in the morning. It was raining a little, and visibility was slightly reduced. We started to climb a gentle slope, but the footing was uneven and slightly boggy. After several hours, Takeda called us to a halt, listening intently. A faint hiss marked the arrival of several arrows from our right, with Takeda, Baldir, and Hishik all hit. I dismounted quickly and raised a shield of dweomer. Our position was enveloped in a stinking cloud, causing Baldir to retch, and magic missiles flew towards me, landing harmlessly on my shield. More arrows flew at us, but missed their mark this time. A floating, goblin-like thing appeared to my right, trying to catch me in a web, but Essere protected me and I was unaffected. Hishik threw glitterdust, trying to reveal our attackers, but only ended up outlining me for the enemy! I tried to taunt them, goading them to engage in melee, but it seemed to have no effect. Takeda rode past, loosing arrows, but to no effect. I lashed out with my rod, landing a good hit – they were solid it seemed. It grabbed at my arm in return, sending a shock of lightning up to my shoulder and leaving a slight smell of singed flesh. Takeda was hit by a couple of arrows and fell off his horse! Baldir came to my aid, landing a hit of his own, and I finished it off. Hishik healed himself somehow, and Baldir tended some of my wounds. More arrows flew at us, and we decided that we would avoid this fight if we could (it was good to see that some sensible thinking was wearing off on my friends). We mounted and rode off at speed, evading any sign of pursuit.
The ground was still rising, and we would occasionally rise out of the mist to get a reasonable view of the landscape. There were mountains to our left, some distance off, and water ahead of us – perhaps a wide river we would have to cross. After about ten minutes at a fast pace, we slowed and allowed Baldir to treat the worst of our wounds, then continued riding south at a more measured pace.
We eventually noticed a structure ahead in the mist, what appeared to be a derelict barn as we came closer. We could just make out a conversation, and three figures emerged from the barn; two Gith and another, taller, toadlike creature but standing upright like a person. There was an immediate psionic battle, with Hishik’s assault killing one Gith outright. We were suddenly plunged into darkness, and I was struck with an unnatural terror once more, turning and fleeing as fast as I could. The remaining Gith re-entered the building, whilst the toad thing charged towards us. Baldir’s horse bolted in terror, but as it broke out of the darkness he vaulted from its back, rolling back to his feet and turned to fight. Hishik moved himself out of the dark area with his mind. Takeda did it the more traditional way, walking into the light and loosing arrows at the toad creature from behind (it had rushed past towards Baldir). A new creature appeared from nowhere, a vulture headed flying demon that clawed at Baldir. Baldir was pre-occupied with the toad creature, landing a strong blow from his morning star that seemed to cave its head in before it vanished completely. He also summoned some flaming “meteors”, striking at the new foe, but with no effect.
Takeda put arrows into the back of the vulture thing, and Baldir struck again. He was raked by claws in return, though, and staggered back. Fortunately this cleared a path for Hishik to bury an arrow in its chest, felling it, and again the body vanished into nothing. Takeda advanced on the barn, but there was no sign of the other Gith. There was evidence that the barn had seen some use, but it was completely deserted. Baldir, with Odin’s grace (he’s always going on about how it isn’t him), healed their wounds and then cancelled the darkness outside so that they could retrieve one horse at least. They then began to search for me. Working on the direction that I had started in (I certainly hadn’t tried to disguise my exit), and using Musat, we were eventually reunited when Essere made contact. The fear had worn off eventually, and I was glad to be found as I had no idea where I was when I came to my senses. At least I had my pipe with me to pass the time.
We continued the journey with just one horse for the rest of the day, then rested overnight. I was able to summon another horse the next day so that we could continue at a slightly faster pace by sharing them. When we stopped for lunch, though, we were disturbed by two men wearing Orcus’ symbol, who sent a flaming arrow into the sky to summon aid. Hearing horns answering, we tried to escape, heading directly west at first but then looping around to the south. It was still misty and damp, but eventually in the afternoon we could make out the broad river ahead of us. There were three large, heavily laden, black ships heading east – troop carriers by the look of it. We decided that heading west was the better option, moving towards and away from the river to use the mist to hide us whilst keeping track of our direction.
The ground started to descend gradually, and then we could make out a camp ahead of us. Black flags flew above it, some two leagues from us. We skirted around to the north, going out of our way to avoid a confrontation that would not end well for us. We kept going until nightfall, then stopped for a rest. Baldir suddenly jumped up, holding his morning star, claiming that something had pulled on his cloak. There was a cry of surprise and a small thud as he did so; a small humanoid rose to his feet, backing away slightly, but seemed no threat. He said he was a Killymurris and warned of a large group of Drow nearby. He then left to bring his family to us, as we seemed nice. They seemed a desperate, miserable, bunch and we advised them to head north to the Efferendil where they could find a new home. We needed to move, but the river was the only option now.
We got ready to move, approaching the river, and heard troops marching east where we had been. We left the horse and got closer on foot, looking to assess the crossing. It was soft underfoot and the river was still as wide as before, from what we could see. We used a variety of ways to tackle the crossing. Hishik had the easiest, as he was able to simply blink across with his mind. He also took my equipment with him. Takeda flew across, covering the rest of us with his bow (although he would need light if we were attacked). Baldir crossed into the ethereal walking across the riverbed without having to worry about drowning. I decided to swim, with the aid of dweomer, which proved to be a little more dangerous than I had hoped. A giant fish (at least I hope it was just a fish) took a bite at me as I was about halfway across, leaving a great blood trail in the water. I was fast enough to outpace it to the bank (thanks to my dweomer and Odin’s blessing to keep the cold out), but of course I had to get out at the end of it! I sent an urgent message via Essere that I had been attacked, hoping that my friends could drag me clear when I got there. What they did was far more random, though, which was entertaining (at least looking back it was). Takeda lifted Hishik up, flew above me and literally dropped him on top of me! As we collided, Hishik used his mental power to move us both instantly onto the bank and safety, although I ended up swimming in the reeds, with Hishik on top of me, so it took a moment to realise what had happened!
Takeda quickly applied keoghtomes to my wounds, putting me once more in his debt. With the pain eased I comforted Essere before dressing. Hishik used a cantrip to clean my clothes, which just made me slightly uncomfortable but was apparently an improvement from everyone else's point of view.
Hishik led us south away from the river, with the ground gently rising and getting firmer. As we climbed we began to see a large orange glow ahead - a fire of some kind. We decided to rest rather than continue into unknown danger. The morning was cloudy with a little drizzle, and we set off towards the fire we saw in the night. A few hours later the cloud had lifted a little and we could see foothills ahead of us, but Hishik also warned that he could see some large shapes moving around. Baldir also spotted a troop of soldiers to our right, on horseback, and beyond an army of thousands. Spots of smoke rising from our left suggested that there were more troops in the area as well. The horse riders seemed to be scouting the flanks of the army, so we needed to get out of sight.
I swigged a potion that shrank me to a fraction of my normal size, allowing me to hide easily in the rough ground. The others tried to hide as best they could, with Hishik being the most proficient at not being seen. A couple of outriders grew close, and we could just about hear them conversing, but then they spotted Takeda. He loosed arrows, trying to stop them, but they went wide and the riders made off quickly. Now we were in trouble!
Takeda ordered us to run, we needed to relocate quickly. I hopped on Essere's back and flew after him, giving Baldir quite a fright. We found a better spot to hide after a few minutes, and then lay low as the riders returned with help to search for us. Carefully moving only when it was safe, we were able to escape from danger, although it slowed us down.
More fires could be seen as we climbed even higher - the forces here were extensive and seemed to be centred around Findorsvelt. They appeared to be moving north east, and we were forced to pick our way between armies to either side so we were moving south west. We moved under cover of invisibility when we could to reduce the risk of detection.
Eventually we reached the site we had seem on that first night, a village had been torched and some buildings were still smoldering. A giant was using a huge fire to cook on, and was gorging himself on something I didn't want to study too closely. Rather than confront a giant, which might draw attention to our position, we attempted to skirt around.