Session 98 - Well, That Could Have Gone Better!

Wed 4th December 2025

In-game timeline: Ches 8 - Ches 8

Our "Heroes" pause at the borders of the village of Secomber. Their insight into what has recently happened at Easting warns them not to be too hasty on their approach.

Solveig turns into an eagle and soars above the village to see what he can see from high up. The village looks populated, but very quiet - unusually so for a farming village. There is no obvious sign of armed people around the village. Solveig moves further afield to scan further south east. He spots a wood in the distance, and flies over to check it out. Concerned about his animal form running out of time before he can get back, he quickly just spots some possible guards or bandits around the edge of the wood, and catching sight of an open area in the middle of the wood, with a ring of stones on a small island in a lake. He quickly flies back to tell the others.

The party head into the village and meet the mayor who, after being convinced they are on their side, tells them about the group of "bandits" who abducted many of the villagers from their homes a few nights ago. They have worked out that they were taken to the south east - probably to the woods that Solveig saw earlier. A party of remaining villagers tried to track them to recover their friends and families, but were almost wiped out at the edge of the woods - a single survivor returning to tell of what they met. Faith visits the village healer to find out more about the stone "altar" in the woods and hears only stories of "magic from the earth" that aids her formulation of potions and poultices. He comes away more confused than he entered, though some of her comments seemed to ring true in some ways with stories of his own village.

With information gained, the party quickly set out towards the woods, worried over the fate of the villagers, and prepared for a fight. As they neared the wood some hours later, they worked out a plan.

The plan involved flying, and being invisible. It sounded like a good plan. Unfortunately the execution was not quite so good.

Pairing up, Solveig and Alwaith flew off towards the wood, Solveig in giant eagle form carrying Alwaith, and with Faith being carried by a flying, polymorphed, Sanada. All were invisible, so they could check out the area unseen. Unfortunately this also meant they could not see each other, and they got separated and had no way of communicating where they were. Whilst Solveig and Alwaith checked out the guard camp near to the boundary of the wood, Faith and Sanada land further in the wood, wondering what has happened to the others. They soon find out.

Solveig and Alwaith manage to check out some of the guard camp, but are discovered and a fight ensues. For a short time they are on their own against all the guards, as Faith and Sanada take a while to get there once they hear sounds of fighting.

The fight drags on. Alwaith and Solveig put on a good show, but the "bandits" are well trained, and give out some damage too. One of them seems to have a ring that can raise an alarm - a large beam of light shines up into the sky, accompanied by a loud ringing sound. This is certainly not a quiet takedown of the guard camp!

Alwaith manages to kill one of the guards, promptly making a spectre emerge from his body and start to attack his old camp mates. As the sword-wielding guards protect the camp, a spellcaster emerges and causes some nasty damage, just as Sanada and Faith arrive. Sanada, as usual, bears the brunt of these attacks, primarily because the other party members are all keeping their distance and/or hiding or being invisible! Whilst this is good for the rest of them, Sanada eventually falls from the brunt of the attacks against her.

With the full party back together, and with the help and distraction of Phil Spectre (who does a great job until he is finally felled by friendly fire from a Moonbeam spell from Solveig), the guard camp is worn down, with all the guards eventually dropped. Sanada is healed back from her unconscious state, though she has a level of exhaustion from being knocked out. The guard camp has been cleared, and no villagers found, but the alarm has been raised! Whoever else are in these woods are likely well aware that enemies are within!